New blog

My blog has moved! Please see the link below for my new bloggy home:

http://www.erinweed.com/category/blog

Boundary Setting

My good friend Nancy Colasurdo recently started a gig as the Life Coach for Fox.com. Today she wrote a piece about boundary setting, which I love. Got a problem saying no? Apologize constantly for things you shouldn't apologize for? Read this!

Show #4 - Jess Weiner & AJ Jacobs

Today was my fourth show for Women on Top Radio. My first guest was Jess Weiner, the Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. In the second half of the hour, I had the bestselling author, AJ Jacobs, tell us about his new book "The Year of Living Biblically." Click here to listen to the podcast.

Gone Skiing

Today I officially felt like a Colorado native. Instead of those sticker ski lift passes you affix to you jacket zipper, I had a season pass made of plastic! We hit the slopes and it was quite chilly...almost too cold to even take off a glove and snap a photo. Next time I'll post more scenic pics, but this was me happy as a polar bear.

This was my second time skiing in Colorado. As a native of Illinois, I had skiied throughout my youth in the dastardly mountains of...Wisconsin. (insert laugh track here) So I have a lot to learn, but I was crusin' pretty well. And I didn't wipe out once, which was pretty unbelievable. Guess what people here call someone's messy wipe-out experience? A yard sale.

As many of you who read this blog know, I have a LOT going on right now. A new office, more staff, a spring tour coming up and writing my second book. Hey, everyone is busy so I'm not claiming to have more on my plate than the next girl. For all of us, it's easy to get overwhelmed in this life. Add on family, finances, emails and other life demands...well, it's a stellar recipe for burn-out. I was thinking about all my stuff goin' on as I was skiing. I was taking on some greens runs, which were really challenging for a midwestern native like myself. But as a rule, I like to regularly do things that terrify me. (That must explain my chosen career as a professional speaker and radio host - I do for a living what most people fear more than death.) In general, if you're existing in your "comfort zone" it means you're not getting better. You're probably just feeling cushy, not taking risks and not growing as a person. So when asked to go on a few blue runs, I said yes.

Now these blue runs had bumps. Lots of them. And some glistened with what appeared to be ice. Not good for this flatlander, but I jumped off the ledge (quite literally) and came up with a system for getting down the mountain alive...I would not look beyond the next bump. I would be 100% present in the moment. I would concentrate on each curve, my balance staying low and center and I would congratulate myself after each successful turn. I tried this, and you know what? It worked. I stayed calm and centered. At no point did I get overwhelmed, and this made the massive task of getting down a ginormous mountain seem do-able.

I find this idea can be carried over into the overwhelming pace of life today. Maybe we sometimes need to take things minute by minute, turn by turn, and pat ourselves on the back for all the little victories. Big dreams are important. Huge aspirations will take you places. But nobody conquers the mountain without mastering the twists and turns.

Wacky A&W

Drove up to the mountains today for a serious powder weekend. We passed by this A&W, which is apparently owned by some die-hard Christian folks. Word on the streets says that every week they combine a new religious message with the latest food specials. I'll try and catch them weekly and let you know the good word of A&W. Click on the photo above to see the message.

Tribute Video

The video below was made by a strong supporter of a few of us doing anti-violence work. Thanks Kathy! Featured in this video are: Angela Shelton, Ophelia De Serres, myself and Angela Rose. Learn more by visiting their websites below:

Angela Shelton: www.angelashelton.com
Ophelia: www.womenspeakout.com
The Weed (me): www.girlsfightback.org
Angela Rose: www.pavingtheway.net

Vote for your favorite speaker

Last year I was honored to be nominated for "Best Speaker" and "Best Female Performer" by Campus Activities Magazine. Many of my fellow speaker friends were also nominated, all of who deserved the honor. Now is the time of year where they are accepting nominations again. If you could take 2 minutes and vote at the link below, I would greatly appreciate it. This is a big deal to professional speakers, and it's nice when our peeps tell the world who they think should be rewarded for a job well done. All votes are due by December 15, so please don't wait!

Click here to vote

Gearing up

Yesterday I laid down an extreme amount of cash for my ski get-up for this season. Now that I'm a Colorado resident, there's no room for any craptastic ski gear. Of course, one must also be fashion conscious while on the slopes, so I laid it all out on my living room floor to make sure it was up to par. That's when Zoe (my pug) stumbled upon it and totally freaked out. I guess through the eyes of a tiny dog with an even tinier brain, it would be scary...kinda like a deflated human.

White Elephant

Last night was my husband's company xmas party, and we were told to bring a white elephant gift. Now my mom has a pretty wacky sense of humor, so I've grown up with the annual white elephant gift exchange every Christmas. For those of you who are unaware, a white elephant gift exchange is when you find a ridiculous, purposeless or downright hilarious present. You wrap it up, and someone picks it out of the gift pile. Above is the gift we brought this year...a puffy shirt! (for all your Seinfeld fans...) We got it as a white elephant last year from my older brother and his wife. Truly classic. As you can see, in white elephant recycling is encouraged. Lighten up the holidays this year with a few laughs...give the gift of random ridiculousness!

Shooting in Omaha

Imagine, living in Omaha and making a mall run to pick up a few Christmas presents. All of a sudden, you hear what sounds like a nail gun. Maybe you dismiss it as sounds of construction, or the like. When all of a sudden, people start dropping around you and you see a young man on the balcony shooting people....this scenario was very real yesterday in Nebraska.

I think after horrific crimes like these are committed, many of us are left wondering what to do. How can we prevent future slayings? How can we help the families of the victims? And then something comes up, or you remember something to add to your grocery list or someone calls...and nothing is done. I think as a nation, we need to choose to act in response to these blatant acts of senseless violence. Three good things you can do today:

1. Say a prayer to God, Zeus, the Universe or whoever you believe in. Ask for peace for the families.
2. Donate to their local United Way, which will provide financial assistance to the families...learn more about how to donate by clicking here.
3. Read the book called "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker. It might make you re-think just how spontaneous and unpredictable crimes like this really are. Click here to buy it.

One final thing I think we should lobby for in this country. Anyone who commits these crimes should never get their name mentioned or face showed in the media...ever. Let's send the message to murderers that their crimes will not be rewarded with fame or a media circus. Instead, you will just disappear and no one will ever know who you are. Now that's punishment...and a deterrant.

Clear Channel

Here's me with Amber Mesker from AM 760 Clear Channel here in Denver. We went out to lunch, and noticed we were dressed exactly the same. And now that I look at it, the both of us match the restaurant in which we ate. Funny.

Weekly Update

Man, life has been crazy. I always think to myself, "When my tour is over, I'll finally get some peace." But it just ain't so. We've had guests visiting non stop, which has been a lot of fun. I'm thinking of re-naming our house "The Weed Inn."

The radio show has been a little kooky. My station, AM 760, has a contract with the University of Colorado to broadcast their football games on a lot of Sundays. This means my radio show, Women on Top, gets bumped. Annoying, but we'll survive. Check the WOT website for more details and listen to podcasts.

In other news, there's some major growth happening. I'm hiring for two positions: an Events Coordinator and a Production Intern. If you'd like the full job description, send an e-mail to info@girlsfightback.org. In addition to growing our team, we have also moved into a new office and it's gorgeous. I'll be shooting some videos there soon so you can check it out. It's modern and funky with a cyber cafe. It's almost like going to work at Ikea.

Finally, I'm using the holidays to start planning for some BIG expansion ideas for '08...and I've also begun writing my second book "Teens Fight Back!" Game on. Stay tuned.

How to Live Green - Show #3

Yesterday my third show for Women on Top Radio was all about living green....especially during the holidays. Check out the post-show video above, or listen to the podcast by clicking here.

Learn more about my radio show at www.womenontopradio.com!

Giving Thanks

All day yesterday I was a cooking machine...but don't be fooled, I was also doing a lot of thinking and a lot of thanking. Here were a few things that crossed my mind...

I am so blessed with a great family and lovely in-laws who support me in all the crazy things I do. I give an extra special thanks to my brother Andrew who is currently at Marine Corps. Sniper School in California, and heads to Iraq on January 1st. Much love and ongoing appreciation to the McNamara family. A huge thanks to my biz coach, Greg Walker, who has let me borrow his confidence in taking some big steps for GFB. I am also so thankful for my fellow warriorettes fighting the good fight. Thanks to my friends at AM 760 for getting the radio show off to a rockin' good start. And to my GFB staff, you all rock like Spock. If you're reading this blog, chances are you're a big fan and supporter so I say THANK YOU for sticking behind us. Very good things are to come...

Other random things I am thankful for: Puma sneakers, Hampton Inns, gebera daisies, wi-fi, angels, flannel sheets, people who say "okie-dokie", in-flight movies, funky satchels, snowcapped mountains, VW beetles, sleep, the new Alicia Keys album, strong coffee, pugs and gas fireplaces.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all much love, peace, family, friends and full tummies!

May you survive your turkey coma today...

The Dairy

After the crazy amounts of travel I've done over the past few months, it was time to get away. My friend Karen Meyer invited me to her log home named "The Dairy" for the weekend. There were some other fabulous people, and six crazy dogs! Talk about a mental health weekend...it was so beautiful and so invigorating to breathe in that mountain air.

Above is a great view of the hillside from our bedroom.

Above is the view from the house...are you kidding me? Holy gorgeousness!

Here's my pug Zoe enjoying her breakfast on the porch.

FYI, Karen has made such a generous offer to anyone wanting to rent out "The Dairy" for their next vacation. Rent a minimum of 4 nights at the Dairy in 2008 and she will donate one night's value to the Girl's Fight Back Foundation. Make sure to mention GFB when you book! Learn more and see some very cool pics at: www.mycoloradologcabin.com

Taking a break...

Well after the past three insane months of my life, this week I have been trying to take it easy. I should add, my attempt to chill out has been overall pretty unsuccessful, as so many things are in the planning phase right now. It's November and we're already talking about the spring tour...can you believe that? And FYI, having your own radio show is a ton of work! It's very rewarding and I'm having a total blast with it, but it's just very time consuming. Speaking of which, due to the station airing a basketball game this Sunday, I will not be on the air. Catch me next week as I'm interviewing some experts on how to "live green" and also some great environmentally friendly gift ideas for the holidays. I'm headed to the mountains for the weekend and will be curling up with it. Hope you all have a most excellent weekend.

Women on Top - 2nd Show

Today I had Angela Shelton and Diana Goldberg on the show discussing how we can keep our kids safe from predators, abuse and violence. I love these ladies!

CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast.

Stayin' Alive on Spring Break

Yesterday we launched the brand new website for my Spring Tour:

www.SafeSpringBreak.org

Check it out, and feel free to use the content to educate others on how to stay safe. I know this is WAY in advance, but planning ahead is a good thing. Gear up for a safe spring break!

BACCHUS - Atlanta, GA

Today I gave the "Stayin Alive on Spring Break" program. We had so much fun, and as always I tossed in some self-defense moves at the end. They totally dug it.

Here's me sitting at my exhibit table autographing free books for all attendees. Pretty sweet deal, eh?

Above is me with my great buddy Amy Butler. She's a fellow Alpha Phi and works at CAMPUSPEAK...it was great chillin' with her and my other peeps.

I Heart Atlanta

Today I drove from South Bend Indiana to Chicago, then flew to Georgia where I met my husband at the Atlanta Airport. We're such jet setters lately, it's hilarious. I'm here because of the BACCHUS General Assembly, an annual conference that brings together peer educators from across the country. We got our luggage and awaited our ride...and I spotted this cool penguin made of scrap metal. I held his fin and took this picture. How romantic. Later on one of our friends from Atlanta took us to an incredible restaurant owned by Demi and Ashton. It was fabulous. Getting psyched for my "Stayin' Alive on Spring Break" presentation tomorrow at 3pm!

St. Mary's College - South Bend, IN

Tonight I spoke to the sister school of Notre Dame...and it's an all girls school. There was a whole lotta estrogen on this campus! I gave the Girls Fight Back program, and was so psyched to see one of my buddies Kirsten Siron Young. She's one of the people on this earth who dresses up her pug more ridiculously than me. See us above.
After the program, these lovely gals threw a little reception for me in a haunted residence hall. I was freaked out. They were telling all sorts of scary stories...spooky!

Women on Top Radio Premiere!

Today was a HUGE day, and a HUGE milestone. I hosted the first episode of my radio show, "Women on Top Radio." Let me tell you, I was nervous. And it takes a lot to scare a professional speaker, since we do for a living what most people fear more than death. But there's something about sitting in a real live AM talk studio with a mic in front of your face, and realizing that many, many thousands of people are listening to you across the country. It can really freak you out, so I just pretended that nobody was really listening. That seemed to do the trick. A huge thanks to my production team, Juliet Noory and Gary...as well as my stellar guests Andrea Mosby and Gwenn Barringer. We had an incredible discussion about AIDS and HIV education.

If you couldn't listen today, no problemo! We already have the podcast edited and ready for listening. CLICK HERE to listen to the show. And if you can, tune in to AM 760 next Sunday at 2pm MST for another hour o' girlpower. If you don't live near Colorado, listen streaming live on the internet at www.AM760.net.

Now I'm gonna go celebrate.

Connecticut Teens

Last night I flew to Newark and then drove to Connecticut so I could speak to a bunch of teen girls in Greenwich this morning. I got into Newark around midnight, hopped in my rental car and was on my way, one hour east to CT. Within 15 minutes, I damn near managed to get myself and several other innocent drivers killed. It started with me driving down a one way street, then involved several near collisions on 95 North. How quickly I had forgotten how to drive in Jersey and New York City! It's like the freakin' Autobahn.


But I somehow managed to get to Greenwich safely, and spoke to the coolest teen girls ever. A huge thanks goes out to Bob Kocienda, who organized three high schools to come to the YWCA on a Saturday morning...not an easy logistical task. See me and Bob pictured above as we posed for a pic mid-program, after I put stickers on all his vulnerable spots!


As you can see above, we had some extra space and time so I whipped out some serious ground-fighting instruction. We did all sorts of kicks on the ground, and even taught them some cool techniques for pinning situations. But as always, I reminded these gorgeous teens to take a self-defense class in their area! Below I'm sandwiched in the center between all my new friends...thanks for coming out, you dangerous vixens!

Happy Halloween

Last night I arrived back home just in time for the trick or treaters...and to dress up my little pug, Zoe. She was a little pumpkin for Halloween! I'm totally that girl who dresses up her dog...I admit it. It could've been worse for her, though. I've see pugs dressed up as princesses, hot dogs, spiders, etc. I rewarded her good sportsmanship by feeding her spaghetti. She is totally obsessed with carbs. Look at her little tongue trying to swipe the noodle!

University of Iowa - Iowa City

Since I was already in town for the 5k this past weekend, I made the scenic drive (NOT) from Chicago to Iowa City yesterday morning. Last night I had the pleasure to speak to a crowded ballroom at the University of Iowa. Pictured above is me and Scary Bad Guy Ben teaching a crowd of several hundred Hawkeyes how to kick some booty...with the assistance of Chuck Norris, of course.


Here's me doing some palm strikes with some cute boys.


I took a moment to pose with the lovely event organizers. An extra special thank you goes to Kate Sojka, on my left. She worked SO hard to make this a huge success!


Above is me throwin' down a media interview. Not sure what I'm saying here, but I recall thinking, "Oh crap! My radio show launches this Sunday! I better get my act together with this whole media thing..."

Today I drove back to Chicago, to fly back to Denver. And let me tell you, there are some seriously crazy lookin' people dressed up here at O'Hare. I have to keep reminding myself that it's actually Halloween...not just the usual freakazoids one normally finds in a major airport. Happy Halloween everyone!

Shannon McNamara 5k walk/run

Every year since Shannon's murder, her friends from Rolling Meadows, IL have organized a race to raise money for a scholarship in Shannon's name. It's always such a heart warming event to have so many people gathered together who loved this girl. Being that I felt the need to party in my green leisure suit until 4am, I was clearly struggling a bit as I somehow managed to walk the route. I'm sure Shannon was looking down at me and laughing. I bounced back, with the help of that crisp autumn air. After the race I headed over to the McNamara family gathering that also happens every year. We just sit around the for whole afternoon, talk, eat, drink and remember Shannon. It's really therapeutic for everyone. And I was glad to have the day off just to be with her family without having to rush off to catch another flight. We raised some serious cash this year, so it will be great to send yet another student off to college with a scholarship in Shannon's name.


Above is just a fraction of the long line of walkers and runners.


Each year the race has sponsors...see them above.


Here's me with a few of Shannon's family members. From L-R: Sharon (Cindy's best friend and amazing party hostess), Cindy (Shannon's Mom), Me, Mary Ruth (Shannon's Aunt) and Brit (our favorite gal pal and Sharon's daughter).


As you can see above, me and Mary Kay (Shannon's Aunt) discovered the trampoline. We damn near peed our pants. Good times.

Halloween in Chicago

I flew in to Chicago yesterday, and attended a fun gathering at some dive on Clark St. near Wrigley Field hosted by our friend from college. People seemed to really get into the whole costume thing this year. I've never seen so many grown men dressed as Care Bears. What's up with that? As you can see from the picture above, my friends and I whooped it up. Tommy is a British Knight or something, Neal is a crocodile hunter, KatyO is Princess Lea and I'm wearing a fabulous, vintage onesie green leisure suit. I whipped it out from my college days, and it's so comfortable. And the beautiful thing about polyester is that when people spill on you, the liquid just beads up and falls on the ground. No stains, no dribbles! I should wear polyester more often. KatyO thought her Lea wig was too itchy, so I wore it for a majority of the evening. Complete strangers were coming up to me and were like, "What ARE you?" And I responded that I was a Charlie's Angel...Kate Jackson to be exact. I know, it's not remotely cool or funny. But I just really wanted to wear that green leisure suit again. Mission accomplished.

United Airlines Debacle

Well I'll say it for real: My days flying United Airlines are over. This could be difficult, given that I live in Denver, their hub. But I'm going to try and avoid this company to the best of my ability. And here's why.

So yesterday I was flying from Allentown, PA to Denver. I had to connect in Chicago for just a one hour layover. Around 2pm I'm on a huge 777 plane about to take off for Denver, when the Captain comes on the intercom. He informs us that some people on the left side of the airplane saw us hit another plane with our wing. Now I immediately believe people in situations like this, but the Captain was all sorts of sure that these people must have "seen something flying in the wind." That's crazy. I'd put $100 on my peeps on the left side o' the aircraft. The Captain says that as a precaution, we have to go back to the gate and have it checked out. He sounded real annoyed, and told everyone not to get up, because he was sure we'd be taking off in a matter of minutes after it's looked at. So about 10 minutes goes by, and the Captain is back on the intercom...only this time he is informing us that indeed we hit another airplane, and the left wing is all jacked up. (OK, so he didn't say "jacked up" exactly, but gave some sort of explanation saying the wing was basically mangled. Hence, my interpretation.)

All 300 people are now asked to get off the airplane, and about 299 of them get in a big-ass line to speak to one solitary gate agent. But I know better. I go to the bar, order a Sam Adams and get on the phone with United's 800 number. Silly non-travelers. I tried to tell a few people in line that standing in line wasn't going to get them anywhere, but they ignored me. 7 minutes later I was confirmed on the next available flight leaving 5 hours later. In the meantime, United claimed they had "fixed the problem" and called in another crew to fly the plane. Now, I don't quite understand how you "fix" a jacked up wing in just an hour. That's gotta be some sort of record. The new crew arrived shortly thereafter, and get this...they refuse to fly the plane! Now I have one rule about air travel: If a crew refuses to fly an airplane, you should refuse to ride on it! So I decided to wait out the later flight and make a lot of new friends in the airport bar.

The debacle continued, but for the sake of ending this blog posting, the day ended with me getting home to Denver around 11pm safe and sound. It made me think about a lot of things in regards to what I speak about for a living. First off, why don't we trust people's vision and intuition immediately when they alert us to danger? Why do bureaucratic airlines try and put people in danger for the sake of getting a plane to it's next destination, despite professional crew members saying it's unsafe?

Muhlenberg College - Muhlenberg, PA

As we speak, I am sitting at the Allentown, PA airport and loving the free WiFi here! Last night I spoke at Muhlenberg College, and had such a blast. They were in the middle of mid-terms, but they were troopers...I still spoke to a packed room. A big thanks to Chris and the Panhellenic Council for creating such an awesome event! See me pictured above with Scary Bad Guy extraordinairre, Ryan.

Cornell University - Ithaca, NY

Last night I visited the land of Ivy League while speaking at Cornell. First off, getting there was so pretty, as this is "leaf peeping" season out East. I've missed the trees changing colors in living in Colorado. Out west, the trees just kinda turn yellow and fall off. So I got my fix, driving from the airport in Rochester down to Ithaca. I was psyched to visit, especially since my good friend Travis Apgar was there. He's the Associate Dean, and the coolest guy ever. He is also a speaker, and talks about his experiences with hazing and suicide. Click here to check out his programs.

The crowd was great, and Cornell sprung for buying EACH GIRL IN ATTENDANCE her own book! So I signed a lot of 'em, and had a good time doing it. Thanks to all my new friends, especially those wonderful A-phis.

DePaul University - Chicago, IL

Ah, it's always good to go home. On Saturday I flew from North Carolina to sweet home Chicago. Last night I spoke to a fabulous crowd of students at DePaul, and had a great showing. They ran out of chairs, which is something I call a "good problem." A huge thanks goes to Deana, the event organizer. See us above trying out our groin strikes (in a flawless, synchronized fashion) and me signing some books.

Vanguard - Charlotte, NC

Yesterday I had my second hit of the kick-ass company of Vanguard. I taught a bunch of lovely gals how to fight, and we had a good time doing it. See me and the event organizer Rhonda above. She totally made the display behind us...how cute is that?

Girlistic.com

Today my friends at www.girlistic.com posted an interview they did with me. Click here to read it.

University of Texas - El Paso, TX

Tonight was so much fun. For the first time ever, I flew today to El Paso, Texas. In true frequent traveler form, I got on the plane and didn't know exactly what area of Texas I was flying into. I mean, Texas is practically its own country. (and it seems like those wild n' crazy Texans think so too!) Anyway, when I got off the plane I found out it was in the very corner of the state, right next to both Arizona and Mexico. Man, I could go for a relaxing trip to Mexico right about now...mmmmargaritas!

But anywho, back to University of Texas. I was a little thrown off when I walked into the student union and was greeted by a guy who seemed to know exactly who I was. I figured he was on the planning committee, the way he shook my hand and smiled at me. (My clients have usually seen my picture before I arrive, so they usually know who I am but I don't know who they are. So I'm accustomed to this sort of thing.) So imagine my surprise when they guy says, "You're the carrot cake salesperson, right?" I was like, "Um, no." My job has lots of titles, but a seller of carrot cake is not one of them. He walked away, looking pretty honked off. I looked around for the candid camera crew. Random.

The GFB program went off quite well, and a big thanks to both Tonya and my Scary Bad Guy Ray. Thanks to all my new friends for the coffee mug, shirts and cool poster!

Sungate Kids

Last night I flew back to Denver from Phoenix, just in time to attend a gala for Sungate Kids. I was totally that girl changing into a formal gown in the airport bathroom. Very classy. But it was worth it, because Sungate Kids is an amazing charity. Their office is contained in a cute little yellow house, which is decorated all sunny and bright. The purpose of the house and the organization is to conduct interviews of children who have been sexually abused or have witnessed traumatic events. And the best part is that these interviews are videotaped, meaning the little kids don't have to be interrogated time and time again about the nightmare they have lived through. I am hoping to interview the Executive Director on my radio show starting in November, so stay tuned.

Learn more at: www.sungatekids.org

Vanguard - Scottsdale, AZ

Vanguard is one of my oldest and greatest corporate clients. They send me to their offices all over the nation teaching their employees how to protect themselves. Today I spoke to a smaller crowd of 30 people, which was really fun. Lately I've been speaking in ginormous auditoriums and sometimes miss those little venues where I can get really down 'n dirty! Pictured above is me with Donna, who organized the event. Hope to be back soon!

SUNY New Paltz - New Paltz, NY

This crowd was such a hoot! And I was thankful for their abounding energy, because frankly, I was running low on it. Yesterday I drove six hours north after speaking at the high school to get to New York. I got off the highway at exit 17 off the NYS Thruway since it was the exit for my hotel. And I could SEE the hotel from the highway, but for the life of me could not figure out how to get to it! Isn't that crazy? When you can see a large building but have no idea how to actually arrive there? Kinda makes you want to hop curbs and drive through fields. I felt like I was living back in New Jersey again...

So back to my story. The crowd at New Paltz was fantastic, and I met some really cool people. I was doing the "How to be a Bad Victim" program to both men and women, and they were all so great. I got some really nice Facebook messages afterwards. I especially love the complements from guys. They usually start out with, "I thought you were gonna suck, but I was pleasantly surprised." I find this honesty very refreshing. And it's always encouraging to know that you don't suck, isn't it?

Tour de Maryland

Last night I spoke to an awesome crowd of men and women at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. To get there from the Baltimore Airport, I had to cross the biggest, longest, highest, scariest bridge ever! It was exhilarating. Do you ever drive over a bridge and wonder what would happen if you sneezed or something, and busted into the guard rail? Anywho, we had some good times, then it was back in the car to drive to Annapolis, MD.

This morning I woke up at the crack o' dawn to drive an hour south to speak at Huntingtown High School. An incredible woman named Dena Radosevic is the Photography teacher there, and has been trying for YEARS to bring me to the school. But due to my insane schedule, we were just not able to work it out until now. See me pictured above with a bunch of fabulous teens, who helped organize the event. And we certainly needed the help, because this auditorium was JAM PACKED. The funny thing about speaking to teens is that they are programmed to hate anyone who steps up on stage. As a speaker, you immediately begin with "uncool" status, and you have to work hard to get them on your side. (Note: this profession is not for those still scarred from high school cafeteria tauntings) The power of GFB won these gals over, and by the end one of my hecklers shouted at me, "Hey! Nice job lady!" Lady? Is that what people will start calling me now that I'm 30? Disturbing.

Fox News "The Lineup"

Click above to watch my appearance on Fox News Channel last night on "The Lineup."

2nd Edition of the GFB book

When you write and publish a book, there's always a sneaking fear within an author that nobody will buy it. Thankfully that fear never materialized for me...quite the contrary actually. We sold almost 5,000 books in 2006-07, and we went back to print in September '07 for Round Two. They just arrived today...here's me chillin' with 3,000 of my new friends! FYI, nothing has changed in the second edition of the book, really. Just some minor updates to web addresses and a few graphics.

You might already know this but just in case...all profits from www.shopGFB.com are donated to the Girls Fight Back Foundation. So if you buy it from us, you get an autographed copy and you also support a great cause!

A grown up b-day

Last night was the most subdued birthday I've had since I was about 4 years old. Had a lovely, mature dinner with my hubby Peter, brother-in-law Mark and future sister-in-law Chris. You just can't go wrong with chillin' with family on your birthday.

The Dirty 30

Today I woke up to a bazillion emails from friends all over the country wishing me a happy birthday. This is just one of the reasons I feel so incredibly blessed...to literally have friends everywhere I go.

I've read a lot of articles and seen a lot of friends go through a 30 crisis. Many of them feel the need to climb a mountain, have an insane party or jump out of an airplane.

But for me, I'm taking today to just reflect and be thankful for what doors have opened for me in 3 decades. I was given my life's mission at 23. I got the dog of my dreams at 24. I married the man of my dreams at 26. I wrote a book at 28.

And today, at 30, I have been given my own AM talk radio show here on Denver's AM 760. I am calling it "Women on Top." (Can you believe Clearchannel approved that?) It's going to tackle both fun and difficult subject matters that are affecting women in America today. Stay tuned for the show premiere on Sun. Nov. 4th. Listen in the Denver area live on AM 760 or online anywhere in the world at www.AM760.net.

Learn more at: www.womenontopradio.com

So my intention for today isn't to do something crazy, but to reflect on all the magnificent craziness of my life up until now. I can't wait to see what is to come...bring on the next 30 years!

Stolen Identity

So I'm looking through my credit card bill today, and notice a $1200 purchase at a sex toy shop. I immediately started wracking my brain as to when I might have been so desperate to drop over a grand on pleasure toys. But alas, no such thing has happened. After calling American Express and explaining my situation, the representative nervously giggled as she removed the charges from my bill. I totally joined the Identity Theft Victim Club. Hooray for me.

Sicko

The body is a funny thing, and I'm constantly amazed by it. Somehow, it knows the exact convenient time to make me dysfunctionally ill. I was on the road for the past few weeks, and yesterday I returned from Florida. Then BAM! Sick as a leper. Can't move anything but my thumb on the remote control.

I think this is nature's way of telling us, "Slow the hell down, or I'll do it for you!" Thanks for the reminder, you resilient body. I'm taking a break from work and this bloggy for a few days so I can catch up on mindless television while I recover.

I did see Michael Moore on Oprah, about his movie Sicko. Think what you will about him, but he posed a very interesting question: Does everyone, regardless of income, deserve quick and top notch healthcare?

University of Central Florida - Orlando, FL

I'm so pissed that I forgot my camera last night! We booked this program at UCF pretty last minute, so we scrambled the thing together within just weeks. In my past experiences, this usually equates to not many people in attendance simply because there was no time to promote it. But whoa, I had no idea the passion and dedication of these women at UCF! It started with my friend Lindi Smedberg, who saw me speak at Jacksonville University last spring. She made some serious magic happen, along with the Panhellenic Council. There were probably 500 women in attendance, all who were so psyched to learn some Palm-Knee-Knee action. Thanks to all of you...and I loved the Houlihan's dinner afterwards. Hope to be back soon.

Old Dominion University - Norfolk, VA

I pride myself on being on time, and never getting lost. Between good advance planning and my GPS, both these things are usually possible. But I royally messed things up yesterday, walking into the room at 7pm...when the speaking time was scheduled for 7pm! I was so incredibly lost, it was unbelievable. So when I finally arrived after one hour and forty minutes in the car, I ran to the bathroom (damn near peed my pants), we put up my powerpoint presentation and I pretty much jumped on stage out of breath. But it's funny, having all that adrenaline in my veins gave a new twist to the "Bad Victim" program, and I have to say I really dug it! This crowd was amazing...a bunch of men and women from all walks of campus life. See me signing LOTS of books after the program, along with a pic of the Alpha Phi chapter on campus and the staff of the women's center who organized the event. Special thanks to Gretchen (for directions!) and Alexa Priddy who put it all together. And by the way, it only took me 10 minutes to drive back to my hotel. How the hell did I get so lost on the way there??? What's wrong with me?

University of Tampa - Tampa, FL

Yesterday I flew from New Jersey to warm, sunny Tampa. I'm happy to report that my mother in law is doing really well after her surgery, so it was great to depart knowing she's hangin' in there. I gave the "Bad Victim" program at UT to a room full of awesome men and women, and we had a blast. I also had an opportunity to sell a bunch of people on the iphone...I did a demo of how cool it is. A huge thanks to Nora Bugg, who organized the event and pulled together an enthusiastic bunch. Check out me and my new buddies at UT holding the "Stop. Leave me alone. I don't want any problems." door hangers. There are safety tips on the back. How fun is that?

Pretty sunrise

Just thought I would share this pretty sunrise with you, which I watched happen from the windows of Newark Airport. Every morning that I have to travel, I always take the first flight of the day to avoid any cancellations or delays. So usually I'm up at 4am, out the door by 4:45am and at the airport by 5:30am. It's a little exhausting, but it's really peaceful to watch the day begin before my very eyes.

University of Delaware - Newark, DE

What a crowd last night at the U Del...a jam packed room with some really awesome students. Both men and women were in attendance, as I was giving my "How to be a Bad Victim" program. There's always a crazy moment before I step onstage in front of a thousand people or so, when I think to myself, "I can't believe I do this for a living." Above is me with some of the Alpha Phi girls (my sistas) who brought me to campus.

Cosmopolitan

This month there is a cool article in Cosmopolitan about how to stay safe. I was interviewed for it, and have a side-bar full of practical tips. Check it out...on newsstands now.

Emergency Landing

Whoa, what an arm-rest gripper today was! En route from Denver to New Jersey, our airplane pilot told us that the electric system was not functioning (and I later learned this directly affects hydraulics) so we made an emergency landing in my hometown of Chicago. Never been so psyched to land there, and believe me, I'm usually happy as hell to be home. After landing, our airplane was chased down the runway by about 10 different fire trucks. Exhilarating!

But we made it to New Jersey, where my mother-in-law is going through another surgery because of her cancer. Please send your happy thoughts and well wishes her way...

OJ's book on Oprah

Today there was an Oprah show about OJ's book, "If I did It." You may have read my previous post from August 16, where I share some of my personal experiences about dealing with homicide of a loved one in the limelight of the media. On today's show, it was the Goldman's versus Denise Brown. I have to say it's one of the saddest shows I've ever seen. After 13 years, these poor people aren't even a smidgen closer to peace . The Goldman's are walking revenge, while Denise is walking anger. Having no other outlet to let their energy go, it's targeted at each other. It's depressing on so many levels...that a killer gets yet another platform to taunt the system, that 2 families still find no healing, that another garbage book glorifying murder will see the light of day...just sad.

U of U - Salt Lake City, UT

If you want to go to a pretty place, check out Salt Lake City. It reminds me of being in Boulder, CO with the rolling mountains and gorgeous skies. Last night I spoke at the school simply referred to as "The U." Met some amazing gals, even if it was a small gathering. But it was great to be there...thanks for coming out!

Today I flew back to Denver, and made sure not to tell my mom about it. She's a nervous wreck as it is, with the extreme amount of flying I do. But to fly on September 11th? Forget about it. She'd freak. So I just don't tell her.

Not many people know this, but I used to commute into the World Trade Center every day 'till the towers fell. At the time, I was in the beginning stages of getting GFB off the ground, and had a temp job at Miramax Films in NYC. It was just a few blocks walk from the World Trade Center. The day of the attacks, I was running late for work because I was picking up GFB t-shirts at the printer...seems like so many people have a good story for missing "being there." I wish more people were running late for work...

Meet Kris Carr

Warning, you are about to meet the coolest chick alive! Last night I flew back into Denver, and had a getaway car arranged to whisk me off to the Tattered Cover bookstore so I could see Kris Carr speak. She is a 36 year old cancer survivor, documentary producer and author. Here's the short version of the story: On Valentines Day in 2003 Kris was told she had incurable Stage 4 cancer. There is no Stage 5. She was told to just watch and wait, but at 31, who can do that? Instead, Kris forges a journey of learning and discovery of finding her own "cure" in a holistic way. From becoming a "juicing queen" to studying at a Zen monastary, Kris tries it all. Her documentary aired on TLC last week, and will be available on DVD in 2008. Her book, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, is now available in bookstores nationwide.

I was very touched by this inspirational gal for a multitude of reasons. I lost a very dear friend named Julie Frichtl to breast cancer in 2003. My mother in law has been battling cancer since last September and my very good friend Tracy Maxwell is a survivor of ovarian cancer. I've come to learn quite a lot about treatment, side effects and how cancer affects the spirit and the soul. Many of my friends have said that strangely enough, cancer is a gift. As Kris writes on her website, "Why, when we are challenged to survive, do we give ourselves permission to really live?"

Support this girl by visiting www.crazysexycancer.com.

Baylor University - Waco, TX

Yesterday I flew down to Dallas, Texas (yee haw!) to speak at Baylor University in the bustling metropolis of Waco. Before going to Waco during last year's book tour, my only knowledge of the city involved crazy cults, but I'm glad I got to visit to see it for myself. Alas, no crazy cults to be seen. However, I was accosted by a large woman in the Wal Mart parking lot who ran toward my car and slapped the windshield. I seriously had no idea what I could have done to provoke this. Glad my windows were up and doors locked securely.

But back to Baylor, which was the highlight of the trip. (as opposed to random auto assaults at the local discount superstore...) These Baylor girls rock like spock. And they even made their own shirts with the GFB motton on them: "Strong. Resilient. Spirited. Unified." You wanna know the best thing about Baylor though? Every Thursday night they serve Dr. Pepper Floats in the student union. (I was told that Dr. Pepper was actually invented in Waco.) After I finished speaking, I signed a ton 'o books and Erin brought me my very own DP Float. Quite the tasty way to end a night of whoop'ass. (See me pictured with my new Texas girlfriends while pointing at my DP Float.)

(WO)men Speak Out

My friends Chris & Ophelia have started a really awesome organization I want to tell you about. (Wo)Men Speak Out is a group dedicated to eradicating male/female violence against both genders. They seek to educate both men and women, cultivating healthy relationships and gender equity. They just released the first issue of their minizine, and it really rocks like Spock. CLICK HERE to read it.

Happy Labor Day

What the heck is Labor Day, for real? Thanks to Wikipedia, here you go:

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday in September. The holiday began in 1882, originating from a desire by the Central Labor Union to create a day off for the "working man". It is still celebrated mainly as a day of rest and marks the symbolic end of summer for many. Labor Day became a federal holiday by Act of Congress in 1894.

Now go pack away those white capri pants 'till next spring!

Wilco

As many of you know, one of my favorite pasttimes is seeing live music. Last night we had the chance to visit the Taste of Colorado, where I gorged myself on raviolis and roast beef sandwiches. Then we rocked out at the Fillmore, where we saw Wilco. Awesome show, but the venue should really look into the concept of air conditioning. My hubby took the pic above from his iphone. He was totally "that guy" in the crowd, holding up his phone and snapping shots. Nice.

Ohio Weslyan University - Delaware, OH

Last night I spoke in Delaware. Not the state, silly! The city...in Ohio. All I can say is GOOD TIMES. Great crowd. And a healthy dose of men at this particular Girls Fight Back seminar, which I love. After the program I met up with Darla Bolon, a member of the National Women's Martial Arts Federation who I met back in 2001 when I was just starting GFB. She's been a huge supporter all along, and I shot some video of us talking about verbal self-defense. That video should be posted soon. Overall, I'm becoming a video psycho. It's the next best thing to real life, eh? Pictured above is me with my new Delaware friends.

The Power of Right Now

Since I moved to Colorado, my yoga practice has kicked up about 10 notches. It's easier to be a yogi away from the madness of New York City. I have come to learn that peace is directly related to the success of many fights in life. Knowing how to breathe and to be present is half the battle in confronting life's challenges. I recently discovered a new yoga studio chain called CorePower Yoga, and I'm loving it. Halfway through the traditional class filled with lots o' down dog, you bust into a series of crazy sit-ups. Maybe someday I'll become zen AND ripped!

So last night I took the most advanced class, which was conducted in 100 degree heat. My teacher was very cool, and in our final resting pose she read us a poem. The last line hit me hard. It said, "The only thing we know for sure is the moment we are living right now." I thought this was profound, especially for people in this day and age. Sometimes it feels like we're always planning for something to happen weeks, months or years down the line. It gets overwhelming, doesn't it? So as I embark on my second Fall Tour stop in Ohio tomorrow, I plan to keep reminding myself the power of the moment...right now is the only thing we know for sure. Make your now count.

Weed 6 Productions

Don't laugh. This license plate is real. When I was in high school, my dad thought it would be clever to get this license plate for my car. His reasoning? Our last name was Weed, and we had six people in our nuclear family. I didn't think it was a good idea, with all the marijuana connotations. Like I suspected, I was a target for every cop in Illinois trying to meet his ticket quota. I can't begin to count how many times I was pulled over while bearing this license plate on my white, 1991 Dodge Dynasty. (Which I nicknamed "The Die-Nasty.")

As many of you know, this summer we began the lengthy process of making Girls Fight Back an official non-profit organization. It will provide awesome safety & self-defense e-learning via our website (coming in September), fun/practical safety products at the online store, and free GFB seminars for women who need it. (i.e., rape crisis centers, inner city high schools, etc.) It's gonna rock like spock.

But as many of you know, I personally have a lot of stuff besides GFB going on. I'm a writer, a blogger, a speaker, a video producer, an entrepreneur and have recently become obsessed with getting a radio show about women's empowerment issues. As I am beginning to turn GFB over to the leadership of the Advisory Board and volunteers, clearly I would need another pursuit. What could it be called?

Literally, I have kept this license plate with me everywhere I have lived, and always hung it above my office door. So when we were deciding what my new production company would be called, Peter (my hubby) was standing in the doorway and simply looked up. And it was done. Weed 6 Productions.

Stay tuned for some incredibly cool things to come...

Weed on the Airwaves

As you may recall, last week I was a guest on KKZN 760 AM doing a radio show called Start-up Story Radio. It's a one hour weekly show hosted by Rob McNealy dedicated to entrepreneurship. The show was quite cool, because he gave me a platform to discuss Social Entrepreneurship...essentially starting businesses that solves a social problem. I think this is going to be a huge industry in the coming years, simply because I meet so many college students who want to work for themselves but also make a difference. It's a great way to use your life...to change YOUR world.

Our initial show went so well last week, that Rob asked me to come back as a guest co-host on his show. So yesterday I was on air with Rob as we interviewed Dr. Nate Booth, author of Tiger Traits.

Let me just tell you...i am HOOKED on radio. I absolutely adore it. Having the ability to share an important message with the masses without having to get on an airplane is quite appealing to me. (Click here to listen to the past two shows.) So it's got my mind running lately about the possibilities...let me ask you, my friends and blog readers...would you listen to a fun, random radio show focused on women's issues and empowerment with both celeb and non-celeb guests?

Behind Happy Faces

My good friend and fellow speaker/activist, Ross Szabo, has written a book. Today it's available on Amazon.com and I just bought it...I hope you do too. Ross and I were a major support for each other as we wrote our respective books, and his message about mental health in America needs to heard. Click here to read all about it.

Sweet Home Alabama

Last night I kicked off my tour in the booming metropolis of Troy, Alabama. The young women who brought me to campus had the cutest accents...every one of them! But don't believe those rumors that Southern women can't be tough. These young women were all about the whoop-ass. Another stigma you shouldn't believe about southern women is that they are always polite and nothing but sugar. During the part of the program where we evaluate the Scary Bad Guy's body for vulnerable spots, some girl in the third row yelled out, "His junk!" Hilarious.

A huge thanks to all my new Alabama girlfriends for helping me kick off the tour! Hope to be back soon.

Erin Weed's Fall Tour '07

Check out my first installment of GFB TV, announcing the Fall Tour. It starts tomorrow...I have a 6:30am flight. Better go pack...

Weed on the Radio

Yesterday I was the guest on Start-up Story Radio hosted by Rob McNealy on KKZN AM 760. It's a great show about entrepreneurship, and Rob invites guests to share their stories on how they started their businesses and organizations. It was an hour long show, and it literally flew by. I discussed all aspects of starting GFB, from the day Shannon died, through all my training and through the book writing process and marketing stuff. Most people don't realize how much we put into really marketing GFB, in order to make women's self defense more appealing to women. We're fighting a stigma that women who learn to fight are a bunch of man haters, so it's a challenge...but I think we're making serious headway.

Anywho, I loved every minute of my radio show appearance, as the experience brought me back to my college days when I decided to have a career in broadcast journalism of some type. (And we all see how that worked out...) But Rob and I had so much fun, he invited me back as a guest host. I'm surely taking him up on it in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Listen to Erin on 760 AM Start-up Story Radio here.

Rainbow Brite & Jessica Weiner

Last night I had the opportunity to hang out with a really amazing woman named Jessica Weiner downtown Denver. As we were driving downtown, I saw the most ridiculously incredible twin rainbows! Check them out above...

But back to Jessica...She's a speaker and author - you may recognize her from being the self-esteem expert on the Tyra Banks show, or the numerous other TV segments she's shot on loving yourself and your body. She and I have admired each other's work for years, but it was only recently that the universe brought us together. She has really incredible things planned for this Fall which I'll tell you about in October, but I just wanted to make the introduction. It's so great meeting like-minded individuals about the importance of teaching women to be safe and strong. Recently I was selected to be on her team of experts for the awesome website: www.withjess.com. I will be writing about ass kicking, life balance and seeking peace. A new direction for me, but I look forward to it. More to come on my writing for that site in September...

iphone

So I just got a new iphone and I am in love.

I heart you, little iphone.

If I Did It

I have always thought it to be strange that Ron Goldman & Nicole Brown Simpson were killed on the same day Shannon was, June 12th. Yesterday Denise Brown was near tears on the Today Show trying to fathom why anyone would publish OJ's book, "If I Did It." I can't help but to agree and empathize with her. But the family of Ron Goldman wants it to go to press, with the assistance of Beaufort Books. The book comes out on my 30th birthday, October 3, 2007.

No one can tell the family of a murder victim how to grieve. It takes many forms, but the end goal is always the same. People want their peace back. Some think money will make the pain stop. Some want revenge. Some want to forgive. Some want to forget. But they all want their peace. Some never get it.

I don't usually write about how Shannon's murder affected me outside of the Prologue of my book. But I'd like to share some things with you all about what it's really like to have to deal with a tragedy like this while in the middle of the spotlight.

The first thing to know...nearly anytime a person is murdered, they automatically become a "story" or a "case." We had to remind ourselves, especially while going through Shannon's murder trial, that she was a vibrant, living, gorgeous girl before he took her life. Seeing her case in court made it harder to remember her voice, her smile. That is a really painful thing...to be afraid of forgetting.

The closest I have ever been to punching someone in the face (without a physical threat being posed to me) was the final day of Shannon's trial. After two weeks of a grueling trial and after several hours of jury discussion, the judge finally said the word we craved: GUILTY. After he said it, we all just kinda sat there, feeling sick and like we'd won nothing. I remember someone from Shannon's family sobbing, but she was the lone crier. Everyone else just sat there like stunned deer. I don't know how long it was, but when we finally moved from our seats reality set in and people started crying. I remember taking a few of my younger girlfriends under both arms, and escorting them out of the courtroom. The moment the doors opened, we were greeted with blinding lights of media cameras and journalists assaulting us with questions about how we felt...as if it wasn't apparent from our faces. I got instantly angry when one camera was lurched in my face, and I told them to F&%$ off. This is not normal behavior for me, but I just cannot explain to you the rage I felt as these media people invaded our moment of trying to digest this entire tragedy on a whole new level. I felt my fist clench. I seriously almost decked this cameraperson.

Shortly after we maneuvered past the media mob, I escaped out the front door of the courthouse. I needed air and space to keep a promise I had made to Shannon's best friend Kim, who couldn't attend the trial because she had a grad school exam at her college in Rhode Island. I promised I would call her when the verdict was read. Standing on the front steps crying, I said to her, "Kimmy, Shannon did it. She got her justice. He's guilty on all charges." It was such a heavy moment...so many emotions. Happiness that it was done, despair she was still gone and complete exhaustion from the past few weeks of hearing and seeing unspeakable things about her final moments. And just then, I felt someone behind me. I stopped, turned to look, and it was a reporter recording my entire conversation with an audio cassette recorder. When he saw the look on my face, he physically RAN. And I am so glad he did...

So this is just a minor glimpse into the world of the Goldmans, the Browns and anyone else who has lost a loved one and it became a media spectacle. It's not easy, and it's not fair no matter how it goes down. It hurts, plain and simple, and often that hurt turns to anger and gets redirected to new battles. I just hope someday, all of them find their own version of peace. Each of them deserve to have it back.

Cubs & Canyons

My sister Lisa was in town this past weekend, (see us pictured above) so of course we hit the white water rapids. This time we conquered the Royal Gorge which is a canyon on the Arkansas River in Colorado. In some places, this crazy thing is 1200 feet high. We hit some class III and IV rapids that damn near flew me out of the boat. Awesome.

Sunday we went to a Cubs vs. Rockies game downtown Denver. I thought I was gonna be the only girl there wearing a Cubs hat, for sure. But as we're approaching the stadium, I kept seeing people with Cubs jerseys, tanks, hats, etc. To each of them, I held up the fist and said, "Go Cubs." To which they promptly responded (with raised fist), "Go Cubs." It's a Chicago thing...don't ask. Well we get inside the stadium and sit in some pretty awesome seats. I look around me, and everyone is in blue and red jerseys...GO CUBS! Seriously, I kept having to remind myself that I was not actually at Wrigley Field. I kinda felt bad for the Rockies with this crazy Cubs contingent in their home field, but then they creamed us 6 to 3 so I didn't feel bad anymore.

Erica Upshaw

A friend of mine is on a much needed crusade, and I want to introduce you to her. Meet Erica Upshaw. Her brother Joey died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose. (See them pictured above) Binge drinking and alcohol use is a growing problem on America's college campuses, and Erica is on a mission to help people make responsible decisions and say something to friends who are out of control. All of us at GFB are sending her much girl power and support as she takes on this pretty huge task. Check out her new website: http://www.ericaupshaw.com

The Art of the High Heel

Today's entry started as my reply to a very mysterious comment posted by a person bravely named "anonymous" to my previous post about the Cosmopolitan article. It got kinda long, so I thought it deserved its own post. Here's what our mystery friend (MF) writes:

MF: I don't agree with you about high heels being great. Do you really think that if you're attacked you'll have time to take off your heel and use it as a weapon?

EW: That's when you should politely ask Mr. Scary Bad Guy, "Excuse me, but may I have a moment while I slip off my shoe?" NOT. Let's get real...a woman using a high heel as a weapon is in one of two situations: #1: she had advance prep time (saw a threat coming) or #2: she was knocked to the ground (and the shoe was accessible).

MF: Even if you could, a bad guy would see it coming plus heels bust off pretty easily upon impact and a high heel shoe doesn't have much weight or mass or reach. You'd be better off surprising an attacker with a heavy purse or briefcase or laptop or a stick on the street.

EW: Really? Heels 'bust off' easily? Have you broken many heels on attackers? We'd love to hear your story. Cuz frankly, the heels we used in our full contract training program were smacked against walls, cement and body armor. And guess what? They're still kickin'... (I couldn't resist the pun.) I agree using a heavy purse, briefcase, laptop or stick would work great too. But you work with what you got in these situations...and you may or may not have any of these items to choose from.

MF: If you want to learn about improvised weapons do a google search or go to a martial arts forum where these topics are intelligently discussed.

EW: Are we not having an intelligent discussion? Oh wait, we can't discuss because you left an anonymous comment post on my blog, therefore closing all doors for an respectful exchange.

On a final note, I offer the idea of using a high heel as a weapon to counteract the all-too-popular safety advice that women should never wear high heels at all! I believe a woman should wear whatever she wants, but be prepared to react in violent confrontations while wearing those outfits. At the end of the day, you don't get the option to pick your outfit for a fight. Hey sister - use what you got to your advantage...and walk proudly (and safely) in those stilettos should you choose to do so!

Cosmopolitan

Today I was interviewed for an article about personal safety for Cosmo. She asked me how I felt about women wearing high heels in regards to safety. I was like, "I feel great about it...I mean, seriously...can you think of a better improvised weapon?!" She was like, "Oh yeah..."

The article will run in the October issue, hitting newsstands in mid-September. Stay tuned.

Faux Bullets

I'm always on the prowl for the latest trends and designs. Today as I was driving around, and kept seeing cars with fake bullet holes affixed to their automobiles. Upon doing a quick internet search, I learned that you too can have faux bullet holes in the side of your car for a measly $2.49! What a bargain.

Sometimes people challenge my statements that say MTV and the whole gansta culture glorifies violence. Instead of debating with these people, I think I'll start sending them some of these fashionable stickers instead.

Departing NWMAF

Today I left the National Women's Martial Arts Federation Conference...and I'm so inspired by the awesome women that I met. I also made many contacts of women teaching incredible self-defense across the nation, which will make great additions to a database we're building of self defense programs internationally. Last night GFB had a table at their bazaar, where people were selling all sorts of cool stuff. Within one hour, we had sold out of every single shirt and book we had!
Definitely was our crowd. I especially loved meeting my new friends from Israel. So it was a great conference, and I highly recommend to women martial artists that they attend next year. I know I'll be there!

Where'd my headache go?

Yesterday I visited my friends in Dallas at Toni & Guy headquarters...Toni & Guy is the parent company of last year's Fall tour sponsor, Bed Head. We're talking about teaming up for some really fun stuff...stay tuned! Check them out at: www.toniguy.com

Today I learned about two really cool things. I was attending the NWMAF conference, and decided to take a class on the Alexander Technique. I've heard of it before, but never really understood it. Right before the class, I had a massive headache, so I asked another gal in the class if she had some aspirin. She said, "I don't...but come over here." She sat me down in a chair and starting swirling her hands around my head in all these crazy movements. I was wondering if I was getting "reikied" or something. But hey, I'm open minded. Turns out she does something called "healing touch." I couldn't believe it, but after doing this for just 5 minutes my headache was completely gone. Incredible. Turns out her name is Diane and she does really incredible work in integrating self-defense and self-healing...she teaches trauma survivors how to fight back. Very cool woman.

After Diane cured me, we took the Alexander Technique class taught by Janet Gee. She was voted "Best Martial Arts Teacher" in the city of San Francisco, and was such a cool lady. Her presence reminded me a lot of the patience, zen and wisdom of Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. The technique is all about releasing tension, aligning posture and just being in a more peaceful relaxed state overall. She had seen my presentation yesterday and singled me out a few times saying, "This could REALLY help you." I was like, "I know...I'm a total spaz."

NWMAF - Dallas, TX

Last night I arrived in Dallas to be a speaker at the National Women's Martial Arts Federation conference. I was invited by my colleague in women's self-defense, Darla Bolon. This morning I spoke to about 50 women's self-defense professionals (speakers, instructors, etc.) about how to run and market a self-defense organization. We talked about websites and MySpace pages and the challenges of getting women to confront their own fears and sign up to take a class. I've met some great allies in the industry of keeping women safer, and I'm looking forward to doing some intensive training over the next few days. I'm especially looking forward to doing some mad jiu jitsu on Saturday...pics coming soon.

Girls Inc. - Denver, CO

Yesterday I spoke to a bunch of lovely, rowdy teen gals at Girls Inc. downtown Denver. Such a fun, confident and spirited crowd. Afterwards I donated a book to each of them and autographed them all...their energy was contagious! (Notice how they got their hands on a bunch of my neon stickers...too funny.)

Thoughts on security...

My friend Tracy Maxwell wrote a piece about security for the online publication, Divine Caroline. Not so much personal security from violence, but instead from all the curveballs life can swing you in general. As a cancer survivor, she has some really great insights. Click here to read the article

Whitewater Madness

Today was the second time in two weeks that I hit the rapids in Colorado. I'm quite hooked on the whitewater rafting thrills and challenges, all the while being submerged (sometimes literally) in the wonder of nature. On my first trip, nobody got tossed into the river. Today, however, I was in for some surprises. I was sitting in the very front, and on the other front position was a girl about 12 years old. I thought she was a bit young to be running the front of the boat, but figured it wasn't a trip that was all that challenging. Then about 30 minutes in, I look over to see the girl getting chucked over the side of the raft as we dipped down a 5 foot drop. She was gone. My years of lifeguarding kicked in as I jumped out of my seat and leaned over the edge to find her. She held onto her paddle, so she was able to reach it to me. Contact was made. But boy, she was freaked out. Her eyes were big as full moons with an unblinking gaze that said, "Get me the hell outta here!" It was true fear...and if facial expressions could speak, she was saying, "Am I gonna drown in this river? So I verbally said to her, "You're gonna be alright." Soon after I ungraciously grabbed her by her life preserver straps and hurled her into the boat...ending up on top of me somehow. But she was safe...and wet. And we all laughed. Later on, my mom commented on how surprised she was at how calmly, slowly and deliberately I fished her out of the water. Funny, I thought I was a complete spaz with all the adrenaline pumping. But I realized this skill of taking my time to do it right the first time was something I had learned during my Model Mugging, IMPACT and RAD self-defense courses. Taking the time to breathe, to think and to combat the panic button that just wants to send your muscles into a flurry. It's a skill that helps you out of many situations, not just violent attacks. Learning to manage our adrenaline and harness our fear brings us power, control and usually good results. So don't delay...take a self-defense class. The results will spillith over...

Click here to find a women's self defense class near you.

Get Impacted

Today I was interviewed by Martha Thompson, a sociologist, women's self-defense expert and founder of IMPACT Self Defense in Chicago. Martha is interviewing some of the top women's self-defense and personal safety experts in the country in an effort to understand the roots of violence...and what we can do about it. My hope is that she publishes her findings...the world needs to learn more, open up more and stop ignoring the violent acts happening to women around us. Check out Martha at www.impactchicago.org.

Love Your Lawyer

Today I had a bunch of meetings in Denver, and I had time to visit the office of GFB's legal counsel, Mark Lacis, Esquire. This guy is awesome, and he has the mad wall diplomas to prove it. Seriously, have you ever seen a more qualified person as communicated by their wall decor? I asked Mark to read me some fascinating laws in Latin. He did, as I stroked my imaginary beard. I think lawyers get a really bad rap...frankly, my lawyers over the years have bailed me out from some pretty crazy situations that arise when you are running any organization. I propose "Hug Your Lawyer Day" if it doesn't already exist. And if it does, well then, celebrate it!

NSA - San Diego, CA

You know those movies like "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind?" They are about dog show participants and folk singers, respectively. I propose they make one of those movies based on the people one might find at the annual National Speakers Association convention, where I've been chillin' like a villain for the past 3 days. It was my first time to NSA, and it was quite an experience. Lots of characters. And some real fashion violations too. I haven't seen so many women wearing shoulder pads since 1987. While not exactly my generation, I did meet some cool people and learn a lot about how I can reach more women in America with my message of personal safety. While I was in San Diego, I hung out with my girlfriend George. Gotta love chick Georges. She took me to the best seafood place in town, where I proceeded to gorge myself on chowder, shrimp cocktail and assortment of fried fish delights. Good times.

Gone Hiking

I discovered a new passion today...we went hiking near Boulder, Colorado on some of the most beautiful, scenic trails I've ever seen. I'm hooked.

Happy 4th

Today is a day where we all think about freedom and independence. Perhaps those who think about it the most are the ones who still have a lot to lose...our service men & women in the US military and those who love them.

My little brother Andrew (see us pictured above-he's actually not so little) is a US Marine. Specifically, he's a sniper who will be going to Iraq in October. As a family, we worry a lot about his future. We're going to be chipping in to buy him some specialty armor that could save his life...but is not provided by the US Government. Andrew would never complain about this, as he is a loyal Marine to the core. But that's what all the women in his family are for...raisin' a ruckus.

So today, give some special thought and maybe a prayer if you do that sort of thing, for those who have lived, fought and died for a country that gives us freedom. Happy independence day.

Changes

Today I made a big decision that will change the way my life has gone for 5 years. I decided not to re-sign my contract with the speaker's bureau, CAMPUSPEAK. It was a hard decision, one that bred some drama surrounding the situation. But at the end of the day, it is a sign of growth. I am hiring someone for Girls Fight Back so that we can really start making some real change here in Denver, and across the nation eventually. I will be introducing the Program Coordinator soon, and she will be responsible for all my bookings at schools, colleges and corporations going forward.

As with all changes and ends to special relationships, even if you know it's right...it's still sad. Today I went for a run, and towards the end I lapped a pond near my house. Amidst a bunch of rocks and weeds stood the tallest, most in-tact dandelion I have ever seen. I stopped running and picked it...I've always been fond of the dandys, mostly because I too am a weed. I regressed back to childhood days, and attempted to blow all the little white, fuzzy seeds into the wind. Not a single seed budged. It was a rock solid dandy, and I saw some real symbolism in it, as it pertained to my life going forward. (See the cool dandy above) Perhaps you'll recognize it too by visiting my new personal website: www.erinweed.com (It's almost done, but video is coming in mid-July)

So going forward, if you'd like to bring me as a speaker to your school or business, call Girls Fight Back directly at 866-432-2423 and we'll hook it up. Much thanks and gratitude goes to CAMPUSPEAK and all my friends who have supported me there over the past 5 years.

Chi-town to the Big Apple

Last Thursday I left for Chicago. Two of my best friends got married back-to-back, so it was quite the fun and action packed tour de illinois. First up was Janel, who got married in Bloomington. Then on to Stacy's extravaganza in Chicago. A good time had by all. Headed to the Chicago 'burbs to spend time with Dad on Father's Day, and we were out like trout first thing Monday morning to NYC. I attended a trade show at the Javits Center for GFB related stuff, and met some really awesome (and famous) people. Pictured above is me with Amanda Beard, the olympic gold medalist in swimming. She was a cool chick.

After the trade show, I headed to Times Square to meet with my web designer at a Starbucks. When lo and behold, my Swedish best friend from second grade who I hadn't seen since grade school tapped me on the shoulder! Her name is Jenny Hammar, and she is living in NYC for just one year before heading back to her home of Stockholm, Sweden. How crazy is that? She's a photographer...check out her great stuff: www.jennyhammar.com I love randomness.

Happy Birthday Shannon

Today would have been the 28th birthday of my A-phi sister, friend and inspiration of Girls Fight Back. So I raise a glass to my CEO in heaven...happy birthday Shannon Mac.

Let's celebrate by checking out her new memorial website which was launched today...

www.shannonmcnamara.com

Calling all 20 Somethings...

Christine Hassler (www.christinehassler.com) is teaming up with Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen to co-author Chicken Soup for the Twenty Something Soul and she is looking for stories about the twenty-something experience! You do NOT have to be a twenty-something to submit, the story just has to be about something that happened to you in your twenties. Stories about people twenty-something people you know are also welcome.

Chicken Soup for the Twenty-Something Soul will cater to the soul of a twenty-something and ease readers during this time of decisions and transitions. We’re looking for true stories that will touch the souls of the readers and make them laugh, cry, sigh or just say, “Wow!” Stories may be about any aspect of a twenty-something’s life such as career, relationships, health, finances, family, and self identity. Stories of twenty-something’s who have incredible lessons to share will inspire twenty-something’s to learn how to lay the foundation of their own life with integrity, faith, and even a sense of humor. Heart-warming stories of simple acts of kindness or fate are also welcomed.

This is a great opportunity to touch another person’s life and have your story published in a national brand. For each story selected to be published in the book, a 50-word biography will be included about the author and a permission fee of $200 will be paid. Before submitting your story, please visit www.chickensoup.com and read the “Story Guidelines.” Christine is taking submissions NOW via the chickensoup.com website, click on “Submit a Story” and be sure to select Twenty Something as the book title. Please contact Christine at christine@christinehassler.com with any questions or for more information.

The Moment

So this morning I went for a two-mile run around my neighborhood, and I was confronted with a classic creepy van. I was running behind an elementary school, and from behind me this red and black van with black tinted windows drives past me. Of course, it slows down as it passes. (Insert creepy movie scene here.) It keeps driving, and proceeds to make two large circles in the parking lot where I'm headed. After the second loop, he drives back towards me and parks in a spot farthest from the school door, and closest to where I will have to pass him. All this goes down in seconds, and I'm thinking to myself, "This is the moment." It was the moment where some women turn around and get the hell outta there, and where some refuse to seem scared, refuse to insult the person and pretend they are not freaked out as they keep running on course.

Every woman I've ever met knows about that moment. All the possibilities that flood your brain, every horrible story you've ever heard on the news...yet at the same time, feelings of empowerment make you mad to feel this way and outraged to consider anything else but carrying on with your jog as planned. Sometimes women just don't know how to choose, how to react in that moment. So they just keep going...

I propose we get conscious about "the moments" we have in our lives. You can do this by asking yourself this simple question - why is this situation making me uncomfortable? I asked myself this question today, and here's what I came up with:
1. He's driving a very creepy van. Who would willingly drive that?
2. He just made two loops in a huge parking lot, only to come back to me. Why?
3. School is out for summer. What is he doing here?
4. Why did he park farthest from the front door and closest to me?

In doing this, I had a major realization into why women don't trust their intuition. In this case, I was clearly being contacted by it. Only issue is that all I felt I was given in regards to safety signals were not answers, they were questions! Rarely does intution say, "Hey you. See that van over there? Well that guy is gonna toss you in the trunk." Intuition doesn't roll like that. It gives YOU the power to assess and decide. And often we must decide not on what we do know, but those unanswered questions.

So if you find yourself in "the moment" and you ask yourself why you're uncomfortable, and all you can come up with is a million questions, it's time to go. Without skipping a step, I did a total 180 turn and got back on the path. When I looked back, he was standing outside of his creepy van looking at me. The best fight is the fight never fought...it's the one avoided.

Read Ross on Huffington

My good friend Ross Szabo wrote a blog posting for the Huffington Post today about the Soprano's coverage of mental health issues. Ross is the youth outreach director for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, but more importantly, is the record holder for the amount of GFB programs that he served as my Scary Bad Guy. Gotta love a man who keeps coming back for more! (Pic above - me and Ross in Venice Beach, CA)

Click here to read Ross's Blog

I'm a Swinger

"Weed, where the hell have you been?" I know, this is the question my loyal blog readers have been asking themselves, day in and day out...right? I think it has been the longest time between posts probably in the history of my blog so I thought I would bring you up to speed on the gagillion things I have been doing lately.

1. As you can see from the picture above, I've been doing lots of swingin'. Not the modern "I'll trade your husband for mine" sort, but the real deal. As luck would have it, our new house is near a park. I wait for the children to leave and the swingset is mine, all mine! Mu, ha, ha, ha! But seriously, this was taken during a photo shoot for the next thing I'm cooking up...

2. Re-designing www.erinweed.com. This site will cover all my writing, books, speaking engagements and videos of my programs. Someday, I even plan to sell some of my art. (You know the stick figure that's the GFB logo? Let's just say that I drew her...and she's got LOTS of friends.)

3. But you may be wondering, "Why do you need erinweed.com when you already have the GFB website?" Well my friends, the day has come where GFB has become much bigger than me. This is a wonderful, awesome amazing thing! This is going to be a huge growth year, and I will continue leading the organization as we take the country by storm. But how do we make it bigger you ask???

4. By filing for 501c3 non profit status! That's right...as of this Fall, GFB will be a full-fledged non-profit organization. This is very exciting, because it will allow us to do some major fundraising so we can afford to REALLY start kicking ass. I will be sticking around as Founder & Exec. Director and we will be bringing some other people to come on board very soon. But you may be pondering, "Well, what is this new and improved, non-profit version of GFB going to do?" The quick answer is that we're going to continue empowering safety and self-defense education to young women aged 12-22. We'll do this in two major ways....

5. For starters, launching a brand spankin' new www.girlsfightback.org! This website will be in Flash, and will be jam packed with personal safety info, self-defense videos, quizzes, games, articles, you name it! We have been talking with some of the best interactive web design firms in Denver to make this a reality. And the proceeds from last years "Fight Back for ShannonMac" Fundraiser in Chicago will be funding the new website. Our expected launch date is August 2007, right before I embark on my GFB '07 Fall Tour. In addition to the site, I will also be training GFB instructors to give the program in their local high schools. The deadline recently passed, and I am happy to say we got some incredible candidates. Our advisory board has their work cut out for them in making their decisions.

In the midst of all this, I've been trying to train for the upcoming triathlon...but I've pretty much accepted I'm gonna be the gym class loser and come in last place. At least I'll have fun doing it. So there you have it...I'll try to keep blogging as things get even crazier. As always, none of these incredible things would have been possible without your support. THANK YOU.

ShannonMcNamara.com Coming Soon!

Great news! My friend Tom Jenrette, has totally spearheaded a complete re-design of our favorite angel's website, www.shannonmcnamara.com. It's going to be officially launched on her birthday, June 21st. We are looking to add more content...either photos, memories, poems, songs or anything else you can think of. Also, Tom is starting a non-profit to keep Shannon's memory alive. Click here to read the details.

Active Minds on Campus

So I recently met the coolest girl...a girl fighting back in her own awesome way...and her name is Alison Malmon. She founded a non-profit organization in 2001 in response to the suicide of her older brother Brian. The organization is called Active Minds on Campus, and here's what they do:

Active Minds is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC that develops and supports student-run mental health awareness, education, and advocacy chapters on college campuses across the country. Each student group’s mission is to:
*Increase awareness of mental health issues;
*Provide information and resources regarding mental health and mental illness;
*Encourage students to seek help as soon as it is needed;
*Serve as liaison between students and the mental health community;

In my line of work, I often see how violence in our society affects people's mental health. I believe this is a cause we should all really embrace. Alison has greatly helped me with some cool stuff going on here at GFB headquarters (more on that coming soon) so a big thanks to her. Check out their website (www.activemindsoncampus.org - new site will be launched soon) or even better...join a group on your campus.

Awesome Anderson

I recently finished Anderson Cooper's book, "Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters and Survival." In case you didn't catch on by the title, it's not light reading. In most cases, it's downright sad. But I didn't get my nickname "Princess of Darkness" for nothing...I loved this book. Anderson is incredibly well-traveled, and is in the media for all the right reasons...to tell the real story. Few media figures nowadays seem to have his committment to geting out the truth, and being willing to accept personal risk to make it happen. He's inspired me to get my booty out of America to do some international travel...not sure when, but definitely soon. Kudos Anderson!

Craptastic good luck!

I'm so psyched! I was at a festival in Boulder yesterday and out of nowhere, I feel this thud on my right shoulder. I look at my husband like, "What the hell is your problem?" And he was like, "What?" I look down only to realize that I got crapped on by a bird. My knee jerk reaction was to get mad, but then I remembered that movie "Under the Tuscan Sun." Remember the part when the lead actress (I think Diane Lane) wants to buy the villa from the old Italian lady, but the old lady keeps saying no? And then Dianne gets crapped on, and the Italian woman jumps for joy and agrees to sell it to her? Great movie. So clearly good things lie ahead...

But apparently I'm not alone. Even really important people get pooped on from time to time. If you're really, really bored you can click here and watch President Bush going through the same experience: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c28_1180051991

Danskin Tri

A lot of people have been asking me about the triathlon I'm currently training for, so I thought I'd just share with the group. Every year, I try to do one triathlon. I believe it's the official sport for people with A.D.D. (like myself) Swim a little. Get bored. Jump out of water and run to bike. Ride for a little bit. Get bored. Jump off bike and start running. Get bored. See the finish line and make a dash for it because you know there are donuts at the end. Yeah, that's triathlon and I simply adore it. Above is a pic of me from the tri I did last year at Sandy Hook, NJ. I was incredibly freaked out, because the swim portion was in the ocean which was flooded with jelly fish. They are my nemesis. (See the pic I took below. Isn't it scary?)

But this year I'm doing the Danskin Tri in Denver, so I'm gonna take a good guess in saying that I won't have to deal with jelly fish. It's a half mile swim, 12 mile bike and a 5k run. Challenging, but not deadly. Between training for the tri and doing all my Krav Maga, the daily task of getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom has become a grisly, painful ordeal. But a quick stretch and an offensively strong cup o' coffee gets me back in action. Today I did my first ever Spin class. Later this afternoon, I picked up my bike from getting tuned up at the local bike shop. I hopped in the saddle and nearly screamed in pain. Holy crotch distress....I had no idea how much that Spin class destroyed me until that moment. Quite shocking, actually.

I saw Big Foot!

This weekend I was visiting with my fam in the Chicago suburbs having a nice picnic dinner, when all of a sudden I look over to the most disturbing expressions of creativity ever. (And I used to spend lots of time in New York City, so this is saying a lot.) It's some sort of weird art thing, with cement women's body parts planted into a hill. I love the fact that this ginormous foot has an oddly longer 2nd toe.

But you know what they say about women with big feet...they have big hands! So big that both myself and my little neice could sit in her palm. I named this crazy art form "Olga."

Kitchen Remodel?

In an effort to take some time off, I am giving myself projects that have no relation to fighting. My first project was the kitchen. It's pretty old and outdated, so my hubby and I went to this awesome appliance place and raided the scratch 'n dent section. We got 4 stainless appliances and come out under budget! So we thought we were in the clear...that is, until the fridge arrived and it wouldn't fit between the countertops. Shit. So we did the only natural thing because we love this fridge so much...we ripped out the counters to give us that extra 1/8 of an inch to make it fit! So now the fridge is happily in place, and we can see the contents of our silverware drawer at all times. It's oh so convenient.

Takin' A Break

Today marks the first week since Febraury 1st where I won't be traveling. Wow. I kinda don't know what to do with myself...but in a good way. As much as I love my work, I have been looking forward to taking some time off to rejuvinate myself. Being on the road isn't as glamorous as it may seem, and it can run a person down. I have learned in my 5 years of travling with GFB that it's absolutely crucial to have "down time." So that's exactly what I plan to do for the remainder of May.

I'm aware that many of you are loyal blog readers so I don't plan to leave you hangin' for the next two weeks. So instead of blogging about violence and GFB related stuff, I thought it would be fun to blog about overall randomness, my adventures here in Colorado, my triathlon training progress, my pug and her friends and the new Krav Maga school that I joined. So stay tuned for some fun posts, and be forewarned: I'm going to start doing a lot more video on this blog. I'm gonna call it Weed TV.

Guard Your Fortress

Check out my latest article for UniversityChic.com about home security:

http://universitychic.com/node/1347

Krav Maga

One of the best things about my relocation to Colorado is that one of the best Krav Maga training facilities in the nation is right here. Let me explain, for those of you who are wondering, "What the hell is Krav Maga?" From the KM website: "Krav Maga is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces. It has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies and thousands of civillians across the United States. Krav Maga is a simple, effective self-defense system that emphasizes instinctive movements, practical techniques and realistic training scenarios." You might recall J-Lo's stellar performance in the movie "Enough." She was using Krav Maga.

Why is it my training of choice? After 5 years of dabbling in pretty much every fighting system and martial art out there, I have come to the conclusion that KM is the most realistic, most effective under adrenal stress (the physiological results of fear, like freezing, sweaty hands, limited fine motor skills, etc.) and includes a lot of weapons defense training. It is taught to people wearing whatever they want, as opposed to a uniform. All classes are for men and women, and it's effective for both. Not to mention, it's an incredible workout. Many of the techniques I teach at Girls Fight Back programs are in alignment with KM, which makes it a very good partnership. If you're looking to learn more self-defense, I highly recommend you check it out. Learn more about Krav Maga and find a class near you at www.kravmaga.com

Cal State - Long Beach, CA

Yesterday officially marked the end of my Spring speaking season. I spoke to about 100 students at Cal State during an outdoor festival celebrating multi-culturalism. It was H-O-T but I still had some brave souls whipping out some Palm-Knee-Elbow action. Good times.

After the Cal State program, I had a few free hours before my flight so I called my favorite superheroine Angela Shelton. Love this girl. She's a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and made a movie called Searching for Angela Shelton. She has spearheaded a major movement to help other survivors heal and find their strength and voices again. You might have seen her on Oprah, 48 hours or as a speaker on your campus. She's also a sought after actress...check her out in her latest movie Air Guitar Nation. We hung out at Rock Bottom Brewery downtown Long Beach, along with her awesome friend/screenwriter/producer, Abigail. It's been awhile since we had a chance to hang and swap ideas, so it was all good. Afterwards we decided to shoot some video on the streets of Long Beach, which turned out to be a pretty random experience. While we were shooting we were cat-called by an elderly man, people in the building above us were tapping on the windows as we shot, some guy came up to us and we had a conversation too bizarre to put into words and a guy on a segway breezed by while we were shooting. It was just funny and bizarre...see me and Ang pictured above on Ocean St.

I heart Chuck Norris

OK, so I just LOVE Chuck Norris. He's so cool. And the other night I was out to dinner with friends downtown Denver, and we got to talking about the Chuck Norris craze on the internet. That's when we got loud and obnoxious, and someone accessed the e-mail below and announced it to the restaurant dining room. Most of them didn't get it, but we all thought it was funny. So enjoy. God Bless Chuck Norris. I want to meet him, and try out some GFB moves on him.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants. There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live. Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs. Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding. Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice. There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist. When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down. Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head. Chuck Norris’ hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush. There is no such thing as global warming. Chuck Norris was cold, so he turned the sun up. Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink. Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is. Chuck Norris gave Mona Lisa that smile. Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door. Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost. Remember the Soviet Union? They decided to quit after watching a DeltaForce marathon on Satellite TV. Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.

Pugapalooza

Next week I have my final speaking engagement of the semester in California, and we are watching my friend's two pugs for the weekend. My pug Zoe along with her new friends Hemi and Shelbi are having a total blast. But even in a good-sized house, it's complete and total chaos. Non-stop entertainment, especially when they decide to bust out a 3-way game of tug-o-war with one of Zoe's dog beds. (YouTube video of that pug action coming soon...) At one point they got too exhausted to move and all ended up on my lap...see above. Good times.

Job Openings at Girls Fight Back!

Due to our major national expansion that is happening this summer, we are looking for some awesome people to fill the following positions:

GFB Instructor - teach the 90 minute GFB program in your local middle and high schools!

Program Coordinator - This is the person who will set up programs across the country for the GFB instructors. This position will be based in Boulder, CO.

GFB Intern - We need tons of help, and our interns will be directly involved with the major stuff we have going on. Interns will also be based in Boulder, CO.

To learn more about all the positions and application guidelines, go here:

http://www.girlsfightback.com/html/joinourteam.html

2007 Fall Tour Announcement

Beginning in August 2007, I will be going on a nationwide tour of America’s college campuses spreading the word that college students can be their own best protectors. I'll travel to 20 college campuses from coast to coast, giving two programs: Girls Fight Back! (for women only) or How to Be a Bad Victim. (for both men and women) I will also be promoting the 2nd edition of my book, Girls Fight Back! The College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Herself.

The 90 minute programs both cover the following subject matters:
*My real-life story of losing a sorority sister to homicide in 2001
*3 practical steps to living a safer life on campus you can start using TODAY
*Empowering risk reduction strategies to avoid common campus crimes
*The real facts about human intuition, and how to use it to avoid bad situations
*Ways to develop a “bad victim” mentality
*A 3 prong approach to practical self-defense
*Tips and resources where students can seek more education, counseling or training
*Ideas on how to get active on YOUR campus to end violence

Colleges who book a program during the Fall Tour will receive the following perks:
*A 90 minute program (Either Girls Fight Back or How to Be a Bad Victim)
*10 FREE books, Girls Fight Back! The College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Herself (2nd Edition
*10 FREE 11x17 posters to advertise the program on campus
*10 FREE tour t-shirts*

Book by June 30, 2007 and receive a $500 discount off the speaking fee!

For booking information, contact us or call CAMPUSPEAK Inc. at 303-745-5545.

Utica College - Utica, NY

Last night I spoke to one of the most energetic and hilarious crowds of all time at Utica College. Getting there was a bit of a nail-biter, as the weather sucked pretty much everywhere and there was major road construction between Syracuse (where I flew into) and Utica. (40 miles away) But I ended up making it in time, welcomed by students and Greek advisor, Tennille. They had pre-ordered books and wanted autographs before the program even started! We had an awesome time, and I really connected with a few of these students who had some pretty horrific stories of their own. Overall, just a great program. One girl wrote on my Facebook wall saying she and her friends agreed I was the female version of Dane Cook. I love that man! Maybe he and I should tour together...he'd be a great Scary Bad Guy, no?

The Utica gang gave me the coolest pink hoodie sweatshirt with "Utica College" on it. I wore it flying back to Denver today and you'd be amazed how many people stopped me to say they were from upstate New York. I had no idea it was such a hot spot. See me with my new Utica friends pictured above.

UIC - Chicago, IL

Yesterday was quite eventful. It started off with me flying from Denver to Chicago, and I saw someone familiar as I stood in line to board the plane. This woman looked exactly like my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Harmon. It was over 20 years since I had seen her, so clearly I was doubting my memory. As it turns out, she was seated directly in front of me on the airplane so I couldn't help but to ask. So I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, but are you Nancy Harmon?" She looked me dead in the eyes and said, "ERIN WEED!" Holy cow, how did she remember me? That was weird...she recalled me being a straight A student which I assured her was discontinued past age 10. She refused to believe me. But it was so great to see her, and it turns out she'd been clipping articles about me and GFB over the years. Funny stuff. Obviously I had to take a photo with her (see above) once we landed in Chicago and she obliged, after asking what a blog was. Mrs. Harmon was my favorite teacher of my entire education, so if you're reading this, thanks for everything!

I drove right from O'Hare to speak at University of Illinois at Chicago to speak at their first-ever sexual assault awareness week. What an honor! I did the How to Be A Bad Victim program, and we had a very good time talking about practical strategies to avoid being victimized...and how to respond if you are confronted with violence. Overall, a very proactive and invigorating talk. Here's wishing the students at UIC a very successful rest of their awareness week.

Shannon's Dedication - Charleston, IL

Yesterday I drove two hours east to Charleston, Illinois to get to the campus of Eastern Illinois University. For several years, the physical education dept. at EIU has been raising money for a plaque of Shannon, and also the scholarship in her name. (See above) This year a scholarship was given to a very deserving recipient, and we had a lovely ceremony. I was asked to speak, and of course started to lose it a little bit. It was just really overwhelming for me to be in the same gym where Shannon worked and where we played Intramurals in college...and there I was dedicating a memorial in her honor. My emotions always sneak up on me, just when I think I'm fine. You'd think by this point I'd plan ahead and bring kleenex, but no....

Above is a pic of myself with Shannon's parents (Bob & Cindy), Phys. Ed. Dept. Chairwoman Phoebe Church, Shannon's scholarship recipient (Amanda Maxedon) and EIU president Lou Hencken. It was an emotional, but touching and powerful event and I was glad I could be there for it.

Illinois State Univ. - Bloomington, IL

Wow, last night was a total blast! I spoke to a packed auditorium at lovely ISU to a huge crowd of sorority women. A huge thanks to all the students who wanted to bring the Girls Fight Back program, as well as the Panhellenic Advisor, Lisa Westendorf. Being that I have a bunch of college friends who live in Bloomington, I know the town rather well. Therefore I was able to drop all sorts of inside jokes about "B-town" as we call it. Gotta love central Illinois humor. After the program I had the opportunity to meet up with Bobby McNamara. Bobby was Shannon's little brother, and he is an ISU grad and now working at a home for troubled adolescent boys in Bloomington. I asked him how he has coped in the six years since his sister's murder, and his response was so filled with faith and peace. He said, "As long as she is continuing to save lives through Girls Fight Back, I have peace with it." The support of the McNamara family has truly been the thing that has kept this train movin'...

University of Mississippi - Oxford, MS

Yesterday I made the long trek from Washington state down to Oxford, Mississippi to speak at Ole Miss. This was a visit I had been looking forward to for a very long time, since the event organizers were SO enthusiastic! I met so many great people, and did the How to Be A Bad Victim program to an incredibly diverse and fun crowd. After the program, I led the crowd in practicing some chants, and then we embarked on a mile long Take Back the Night march throughout the campus. (Women unite, take back the night!) All of us were marching with candles and it was just so cool and empowering. The march ended at a pavillion where a survivor of domestic violence named Sonia sang a lovely song and shared her story of surviving an escaping from a domestic violence situation. So inspiring. The mic was opened to the crowd, some of who shared their personal stories on how violence has affected their lives. It is so awesome to see students literally all over the country who are so mindful and dedicated to eradicating the violence on our campuses and in our society. It was truly a blessing to visit Ole Miss. See the pic above of me and some new friends after the candlelight march.

Spokane Falls CC - Spokane, WA

Yesterday I spoke at Spokane Falls Community College in lovely Washington state. I have spoken in Spokane pretty much every spring since 2002, so it's like a staple in my year to make a visit to this place. After all the events that took place on Monday at VT, it was an especially heavy program. I began the "How to Be a Bad Victim" lunchtime session dedicating it to the community of Virginia Tech, and shared my story of being touched by the campus when I visited in October 2006. After that, we moved into the program and learned about staying safe and sound on campus and beyond. My scary bad guy was a hilarious dude named Patrick, and a huge thanks goes to everyone who brought me to campus. Pictured above are myself with the event organizers: Dr. Ann Ciasullo, Magen and Krictal. Thanks for lunch and another great visit to SFCC!

In other news, I am happy to report I received an email from the vigil organizer at Virginia Tech saying she had more than enough candles for the vigil last night. I can't believe everyone pulled it off...but it's so inspiring to know that people are willing to rise to the occasion to help others in their time of grief and need. I saw clips of the vigil on CNN, and it was lovely tribute to the lives lost...

Got candles for VT?

Well the shooter has been identified, and now the death toll is up to 32. We need some help with something, and I'm hoping one of my loyal blog followers can throw us a bone. Does anyone has a large amount of candles they could donate to a vigil being held at Virginia Tech tonight? If so, please e-mail GFB at info@girlsfightback.com. I was in contact yesterday with a friend of mine from VT who is organizing the vigil, which is expected to bring out over 40,000 people. Since it would be great to have a candle for each of them, I was up half the night getting in touch with my well-connected friends trying to make this happen. So far, it looks like we've made progress...but if you know of a source that can help, please shoot us a note. Many thanks.

Prayers for Virginia Tech

Like many of you, right now I am watching CNN in horror at the mass shooting that went down this morning at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. As of now, they are saying the fatality number includes 21 people and the shooter. I spoke on this campus in September on my book tour and met hundreds of women there. Today all my thoughts and prayers are with these students and their families as they cope with the events from this tragic day.

Now That She's Gone - new play

I was recently approached by the awesome author and screenwriter, Ellen Snortland, to help promote her new play. If you live near New York City, go check it out! It contains some GFB-esque themes, including self-defense. Kudos to Ellen! See promo text below.

Please join Gloria Steinem & Helen LaKelly Hunt in New York City for a showcase evening of Ellen Snortland’s: “Now That She's Gone.” Gloria Steinem says, “ Ellen Snortland's one-woman play, "Now That She's Gone," is what good theater is all about. Her funny and tragic, particular and universal story sends us home with a better understanding of our own.”

New York City – Wednesday May 2nd 2007
5:30 doors open; 6:00 p.m. curtain
Norwegian Seamen's Church at 317 East 52nd St. NYC, btw 1st &2nd Aves.
www.kjerka.com
Suggested Donation: $40 to benefit Women's Funds in NYC
Reservations: call 201-669-9927 or e-mail: rsvp@hunt-hendrix.com
Tickets available at the door if there are still seats.

Now That She's Gone is a play that explores Ellen Snortland's often wacky, irreverent and sometimes torturous relationship with her Norwegian-American mother. Now That She's Gone has been described as a Lily Tomlin / Garrison Keillor / Eve Ensler hybrid… passionate, poignant and funny in turns. A memoir piece with Eleanor Roosevelt, sex, drugs and lutefisk, the play and performance have received rave reviews and standing ovations in California, New York, and Washington, D.C. For further information, contact Ellen by visiting: www.snortland.com

Florida and Philly and Jersey...oh my!

Normally I'm pretty good about keeping the blog updated, but this past week was a total debacle. I was constantly on the go, leaving very little time to give you my latest updates on my tales from the road. So here it is, Saturday afternoon, and I finally have a free moment to bring you up to speed. Phew!

On Monday I caught a 6am flight to Jacksonville, FL. That evening I spoke at Jacksonville University, where I was booked by my fellow Alpha Phi, Chicago native, pug owner and loyal GFB fan, Kirsten Siron Young. What an awesome girl, and it was great to see her again...and also meet her fabulous students. Although the technology Gods were not smiling upon us for the microphone or powerpoint, who needs it?! We freestyled it, and the GFB program went off without a hitch. I made a lot of Facebook friends that night, and it was an honor to be there. (See me and the Jacksonville girls pictured above.) On Tuesday I flew from Florida up to New Jersey for some GFB meetings in the NYC area. On Wednesday I drove two hours south to Philadelphia to speak at St. Joseph's University. I did a GFB safety and self-defense program that afternoon, and was the keynote speaker at their annual Take Back the Night event that evening in the campus chapel. I only do these keynotes once or twice a year, and they are by far, the most difficult types of speeches that I give. Take Back the Night is usually a rally where survivors of violence, victims or co-survivors stand up and share their stories with the crowd. It's extremely powerful, totally inspiring and just overall emotional. You hear the worst of human nature in the stories, but see the best in people when these indiviudals summon the courage to come forward. It always leaves me in awe, and Wednesday at St. Joe's was no exception. A big thank you to the lovely and amazing Dr. Raquel Bergen for being such a leader in the field of sexual assualt eradication and her outstanding REPP group of assault counselors. On Thursday I drove back up to New Jersey, since last night we had a family wedding. It's was an awesome Italian Catholic extravanganza, with the nicest people who gathered for a lovely couple. (Congrats Matt and Beth!) With all the real-deal Italian last names I heard last night, it was kinda like an episode of Sopranos, but without the fear of getting whacked.

Lifescript.com

A few weeks ago I did an interview with Shanna Thompson, a freelance writer for a very cool and educational website called Lifescript.com. She also interviewed two other women's safety authors/instructors, Kathleen Baty and Lisa Gaeta. Check out the article and you can also take a fun little safety quiz at the end. Enjoy.

Click here to read it.

Happy Easter

Nothing says happy easter like a grown woman wearing a bunny suit.

We made it to Colorado

Thanks to you all for your patience as I have neglected this blog for the past week or so. As you know by now, my family and I made the cross-country move from New Jersey to Colorado. As you can see from the photo above, it's been quite a juggle running GFB from my SUV at rest stops along the way...but with the grace of God and a Palm Treo, all things are possible. I'm happy to say we're all settled in and have acquired a massive amount of home furnishings in a record amount of time. I hit the road again tomorrow for the rest of April, so it's nice to have things in working order (for the most part) before I go. So both myself and this bloggy are back in action...stay tuned for some wild adventures this week.

2007 Instructor Training

Since January 2002, I have traveled the nation on a full-time basis giving the 90 minute Girls Fight Back program at junior highs, high schools, universities, associations, women's groups and Fortune 500 companies. With each passing year, the demand has increased and so has the enthusiasm about GFB. Over the past year, I have realized that one person alone will no longer be able to satisfy the demand, and I knew it was time to train others. This took awhile to come to grips with emotionally, as I have strong attachments to the program in addition to being a die-hard perfectionist. It took a certain level of letting go to even be able to consider someone else doing my GFB thang.

But I am ready now, and so is GFB. It's time to grow and branch out. We also have decided to specialize solely in young women's safety and self-defense. (tweens, teens and college students) I recieve so many requests to speak at middle and high schools every week, so I figured the best way to start our growth is by training instructors to give the 90 minute GFB program in schools across the nation. Meanwhile, I will continue to give all GFB presentations at colleges and universities.

This August I will be holding the first-ever GFB Instructor Training Academy. The application process is open as of today, and all applications are due by May 31, 2007. We anticipate many applicants but will only be choosing about 10. If you are interested in applying to be one of the few and proud 2007 instructors, click here for more info and the application. Good luck!

Prepping for the Road Trip

Today my husband had his last day of work. He's been at the corporate job for over 11 years, and so this was a big thing to leave. When we get to Colorado, he's going to actively pursue becoming a musician on a full time basis, and I'm so supportive of that. Life is just too short not to live your dreams! Check out my hubby's myspace at: www.myspace.com/petelacis

When prepping to move cross-country, one must be quite organized. (which I am not) There are so many details to think about. Moving truck. Check. Packing. Mostly done. And most importantly, puppy tranquilizers for Zoe. This is a necessity for any 3-day road trip with a dog. So today I took her to the vet to get some pills, and I was informed that she has a weight problem and must lose 3 pounds. (See my obese pug's "before" picture. I'll post another pic once she reaches her 3 lb. weight loss goal.) Once we get to Colorado, Zoe is gonna be hittin' the treadmill. Good news is that I got the tranqs...only issue now is that our dog is quite skilled at averting from swallowing them. Should be interesting.

Albion College - Abion, MI

Yesterday I flew to Detroit and drove 1.5 hours to lovely Albion, Michigan. I drove through one of the most torrential thunderstorms to get there, but I was determined! I looked like one of those old ladies, cluthing the steering wheel and craning her neck towards the windshield. (as if this is going to make a difference...) But alas I arrived just as the weather became peaceful, and gave the How to Be a Bad Victim program in the campus chapel to about 500 students. My scary bad guy for the event was Brad, who insisted on wearing the neon stickers demonstrating his vulnerable spots through the entire program. Doesn't the photo above of me and Brad look like I'm spanking him? I think I was teaching an elbow strike, but this shot is downright questionable. So funny.

I am incredibly thankful to Staci Gunner from the women's center who organized the event. See us pictured above with the cool poster she had made to advertise the program. She's been so supportive of my work for so long, and it was awesome to finally meet her. Today I flew back to New Jersey to start saying farewell to friends and begin packing for our cross-country move to Colorado this weekend. Wish us luck...

St. Catherine's School - Richmond, VA

Last night I spoke to some funky, fabulous junior and senior year girls in Virginia. So much fun! This program was brought to St. Catherine's by the school, but also with major support from their parents. (many of who also attended the program) The original mom who discovered me formerly worked for the FBI, and recognized the GFB program as something her daughter needed to see. So in combination with the parents and the amazing school director, Cathy McGehee, we pulled off an awesomely educational event for these gals. Here's wishing my new teen gal-pals a fun rest of the year and safe, good times when you go to college! (See me pictured above with a few of my St. Catherine's girls posing with our fave moves.)

Emerson College - Boston, MA

Last night I spoke to a truly outstanding group of young women in Boston, one of the most quaint and historical cities in the nation. I love going to Boston, but I always leave lots of "lost time." All the roads are windy and make zero sense whatsoever, so I approach each trip there with the certain knowledge that getting lost is not an option..it's absolute. The event was organized by Meredith and Catherine, who were both incredibly dynamic, professional and organized students. They saw me present at the BACCHUS conference this past Fall, and since then were working to bring me to campus for Take Back the Night week. We had an awesome time, and my Scary Bad Guy was named Morgan and totally hilarious! (He was a theatre major) Afterwards we hit one of my favorite restaurants to celebrate a successful event at Rock Bottom Brewery. It's been quite a productive week...I traveled to five states, spoke to almost 1,000 people and bought a house! I am now about to board a plane back to New Jersey for some much needed R&R before taking off for my next week o' travel on Monday...

Closing Day - Boulder, CO

So I have a big announcement. Girls Fight Back is officially moving to Colorado! There are many reasons, most of them personal. (Being near family, lower cost of living, so damn beautiful and my hubby and I are total mountain freaks.) So it's been a dream of ours for a very long time, and yesterday we closed on a house. GFB's headquarters will now be located in Boulder, quite possibly my favorite city in the entire country. Nothing will really change with GFB besides the NJ studio having to close. (I know, it's sad...but we may re-open a facility in Boulder. I'll keep you posted.) Since GFB is a national operation, this will not affect our current operations too much. The only glitch will be the online store will be shut down for the first week of April while we move and re-group. Stay tuned to this blog for our cross-country adventure! Pictured above is me after the closing, and my hand was practically crippled after signing so many documents. Clearly I had to hit the Starbucks on Pearl Street in Boulder and recover...

KPMG - Phoenix, AZ

Yesterday I spoke at one of my favorite corporate clients, KPMG. (A tax and audit firm) They have been loyal clients for the past several years, sending me to offices located around the country. They are consistently awesome crowds, and we have a total blast learning how to "be dangerous." It's always a treat to travel to places like Arizona, when the rest of the country is so cold! I think Arizona and its mountains and desert scenery is one of the most beautiful places ever. After I finished the "Women Fight Back" program, I hopped into my rental car and drove straight to the airport to catch a flight to Denver. A big announcement is coming soon...

University of Arkansas - Little Rock, AR

Yesterday I spoke in Clinton-land, otherwise known as Arkansas. When I arrived at the airport, I noticed all the bookstores had these really creepy shrines dedicated to the Clinton family. Boooks, bobbleheads and shot glasses...the whole shebang. (See pic above.) This state loves their past president, and possibly future president, very much!

I spoke at Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock and met some great people. I gave the spring break program for a lunch-and-learn session, and we had a great time. Everyone is so friendly in Arkansas, and I want to send a big thank you to the event organizer Barbara. Hope to see you all again soon! (See pic above of the cool posters they made for the event.)

Craptastic Travel Weekend

This whole weekend was by far, the most craptastic air travel display in my five year history of speaking around the nation. Seriously. I was supposed to return to New Jersey on Friday afternoon, and didn't make it home until Sunday night at 10:30 pm. I was home for a mere 16 hours before getting back on an airplane today for this week of travel. Sorry to be Debbie Downer here, but one thing I've learned about being on the road is the importance of taking care of yourself and always trying to maintain some level of balance in your life. Let's hope this week holds a bit more sanity! Wish me luck...

Oh, I almost forgot. There was an interesting highlight to this travel debacle. On Sunday afternoon I was waiting for my flight, and sitting in the Continental President's Club. (It's an airport lounge that you pay an annual fee for...mostly for very frequent travelers.) I was sitting in my plush chair, when all of a sudden a very loud talker got on the phone. He was sitting in the seat directly behind me, so I couldn't turn around and shoot him a nasty glare. (Our backs were to each other, so it would have required some major neck craning.) Well I had no moral dilemma in eavesdropping since was pretty much yelling in my ear. He was all freaked out about missing his connecting flight to Israel, and every other sentence he ended with the words, "God willing." For some reason, I knew this guy's voice, but had no idea where. Well just then, Continental announces they are calling standby, so I got up and bolted. Before leaving the lounge, however, I looked back at this mysterious loud talker. And OMG, it was Rabbi Shmuley Boteach from TLC's "Shalom in the Home!" (pictured above) His show is kinda like Super Nanny with a Jewish twist. It turned out he was totally on my flight, sitting in First Class. Under normal conditions I would ask to take a picture for this blog, but this guy was strung out. I didn't want to get my ass kicked by a rabbi. So there you have it...my weekend ended with a D-list celebrity sighting. Hooray for me!

The St. Patty's Mullet (still stranded in Chi-town...)

The bad travel karma continued yesterday, as I was stranded in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day. Only one flight left Chicago for Newark, and I knew I had no hope of getting a standby seat. (It was a regional jet...no dice.) So it was decision time...either try to wait it out at O'Hare and end up punching someone in the face, or go downtown Chicago and get jiggy with my college peeps celebrating the Irish. Clearly the latter was a more positive option. And this would be my big chance to whip out my new Green Mullet Wig! As you can see from the picture above, it rocked. But it also seemed to scare my niece a bit. I drove all the way downtown with the wig on, and people kept staring and pointing at me in my car. At one point I stopped for gas, and one guy came up to me and asked for directions. I thought to myself, "Of all the normal looking people at this gas station, this guy asks the only jackass in a mullet wig for directions. Unbelievable."

I ended up going to a party with my friends Tommy, Neal and Katy. (all pictured above) I quickly became quite popular at this party with the wig. As you can see from the ensuing pictures below, it eventually was stolen from me and coveted by randoms.

This is me and Neal. You may recognize him from my book, as he was the guy who flew out of my closet, terrifying me, in the beginning of Chapter 2. Someday, he will be punished.

This is me and my new friend Greg. We met for the first time yesterday, and I had the wig on already. After he stole my wig from my head he was like, "Whoa! You're actually kinda cute!" This backhanded compliment came after he accused me of being a bad flip cup player, so he almost got a palm strike to the face for the combined remarks. (But lucky for him, he emerged from the party unscathed.)

I have no idea who this guy is, but he had a creepy affection for the Green Mullet Wig. After he posed for this photo, I asked for the wig back.

This guy, who I also don't know, tried to run off with my wig thinking I wouldn't notice. I chased him down and retrieved it. So as you can see, St. Patty's Day turned out to be pretty fun after all. You know what they say...when life gives you lemons, make green beer.

Stranded in Chicago

Yesterday I flew from California to Chicago. Originally I was supposed to speak in Chi-town last night, but the college had to re-schedule for April. It was too late to change my travel, so I decided to come to Chicago anyway. It worked out well, considering it was my dad's birthday on Monday so I took him out to dinner last night to celebrate. This morning I had a lovely breakfast with Shannon's mom, Cindy McNamara. (See us pictured above.) I can honestly tell you that nothing rejuvinates me like hanging out with Cindy. From day 1, she has been so incredibly supportive of my mission with GFB. Cindy is one of the most inspiring people I know, even though she has no idea how amazing she truly is.

After breakfast I headed to O'Hare to catch my flight back to New Jersey. I was very much looking forward to going home, after being away from my hubby and pug for a week. But alas, my travel karma (and anyone else's trying to fly East) was not in working order today. I was on two flights that got cancelled, and finally they sent me home. Things are so bad, that I'm not booked on a flight until SUNDAY NIGHT! This is upsetting, since you may be already aware that I had a wild St. Patty's Day party planned for tomorrow. Sadly, we had to cancel it because of weather and my absence, and at first I was totally bummed not to be able to wear my green mullet wig. But I've decided to fight the power and try to catch a standby flight tomorrow by hanging out at O'Hare...and oh yes, I shall be wearing the green mullet wig. I will not be deterred. Stay tuned for obnoxious pics tomorrow.

In other news, I was called by the Tyra Banks show today to shoot a special on safe spring break next week in Los Angeles. Too bad it's Tuesday, and I'm already scheduled to be speaking in Arkansas. I would have loved to teach Tyra a booty strike...my guess is she'd love that sort of thing. Maybe next time. Wish me luck tomorrow, as I take on the travel Gods!

Univ. of California - Riverside, CA

This has been a great day. Above is a pic of myself with my greatest mentor of all time, Bob Martin. Bob was with the LAPD for 28 years, and is one of the most respected individuals in the violence prevention and threat assessment community. He also wrote the introduction to my book, and is a close friend. When I met Bob back in 2001, I was working as a temp in New York. I really had nothing but dreams for GFB. But Bob saw things I couldn't see at the time and he got behind me 100%. He has taught me so much, connected me with incredible people, and I am so grateful for him. Since we live on opposite coasts, I don't get to see him often. But today I did get to hang with Bob, so what did we do? We hung out at a bowling alley. (His granddaughter was having a birthday party. I just wish I had time to throw down a few pins!)

But alas, I had some work to do so we said our goodbyes. Driving to Riverside had such gorgeous views. I always hear jokes about people in Cali being self-absorbed, but I had quite the warm-fuzzy experience today. I was on the tollway, enjoying the view and the radio. I pulled into a tollbooth, and I was informed by the toll collector that the person in front of me had paid my toll! Now this is a heftier toll than you're thinking...it's was $2.50. I wasn't sure what to do, so I told the toll dude that I'd pay it forward by paying for the toll for the guy behind me. The toll dude said to me, "Are you sure?" Like that's such a crazy thing. I wonder if the guy behind me kept the love going...

Onto my program at UC Riverside. I'd love to send out a big holla to my friend, Doug Everheart, who brought me to campus. The students were awesome, and especially the guys were really into it. Quite the energetic bunch, and I had a great time with them. Upon returning to my car in the parking lot, I saw I left my headlights on. Just super. Thankfully I had enough juice to get home. (Lately home=hotel) I've loved being in California and not having to wear a jacket, but it's onto Chicago tomorrow...

Travel Day & Luggage Update

Today is a travel day. These are fun days for me, because it means I don't have to be on the first flight in the morning to my destination. (Which are usually around 7am - yikes!) I'm a sleeper, so I was psyched to get some serious shut-eye and actually wake up when it's light outside. As you can see above, my friends at Pittsburg State gave me a cool shirt that says "PITT" on it. I love it. Thanks guys! I drove 2.5 hours back up to Kansas City, hopped on a flight to Denver and caught a connecting flight to Orange County, California. One thing that always makes me sad when flying to the OC is when I look out the airplane window and see the burned forests where a fire had ripped through. Things are always more real when you see them first hand rather than on CNN.

Travel days are also good for catching up on random stuff that needs to be mentioned in this blog. Now one of the things that I learned last weekend at the fundraiser is that a ton of people are reading this blog! There's no real way to check site statistics, so I honestly never knew if my husband was the only person reading it. (And he often does this to see where the hell I am...) But the outpouring of concern over posts like "Where Art Thou, Red Luggage" has assured me otherwise. Since you're all so concerned about red luggage, here's the update. After doing some thinking, I decided Red Luggage was bad luck and should be retired. I had bought it several years ago, and she has been good to me...but it was time to be sent out to luggage pasture. (i.e, the basement.) So it was time to shop for new luggage, which is something I take VERY seriously. I went to JC Penny, because they were having a sale. I pulled about 5 luggages off the racks, and was seriously walking around the whole department store with each of them to assess things like wheel function. (Gotta take a test drive, right?) Clearly this earned me some strange looks. But finally I decided on Blue Luggage, pictured above. She's awesome. And I made a pledge to NEVER check her again. This, of course, means I pack much lighter these days. One of my gay boyfriends recently saw my slim blue luggage and knew I had been gone from home over 7 days. He incrediously stated that I "pack like a straight guy." Hey, at least my luggage won't get lost.

Pittsburg State - Pittsburg, KS

So I know what you're thinking...Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania, right? Not when it's missing the silent "h" it's not. Today I flew from New Jersey to Kansas City, and drove 2.5 hours south to this lovely little town. This evening I gave the Stayin' Alive on Spring Break program to about 100 students who were clearly psyched for their upcoming vacation. And the weather was so gorgeous today, it felt like SB had already arrived. The program went great, although I experienced something that happens from time to time. I was beginning the program by telling the students Shannon's story, and why this motivated me to speak to college students for a living about their safety. Normally I'm able to keep it together, and get through this difficult part of my program. But since the fundraiser was just this past weekend, I was just filled with emotion tonight. Towards the end of the story, a fond memory of Shannon just kinda popped into my head and threw off my whole story. I thought I was going to cry, but quickly was able to get my act together and back on track. The program after that went as fun and wild as normal. Afterwards I was telling Ed, the awesome organizer of this event, that it happens very rarely and I was sorry to lose it a bit up there. But he said, "I don't know how you talk about that everytime you give a program." Sometimes, neither do I. But I decided a long time ago that the day I stop feeling WHY I do this and stop remembering on an emotional level how much Shannon impacted my life is the day I should hang up the saddle. So thanks to everyone at Pitt for coming out, and have a fab spring break! Pictured above is myself in the crowd with Scary Bad Guy Larry, teaching 'em how to open up a can o' whoop-ass.

Right after the program, I quickly ran into Wal Mart to pick up a new tube of toothpaste. As I walked in the front entrance, I saw they had a St. Patty's Day display filled with all sorts of fun Irish stuff. Now my ethnic background is somewhat mutt-like, as I'm told that I'm from a different ethnicity everytime the family gets togteher. But once I heard I had Irish blood in my veins, and I decided to claim it as my heritage. And hey, my name is Erin so that's Irish enough for me. Anywho, because I'm a self-proclaimed Irish person I obviously LOVE St. Patrick's Day, and this year we're having a party. I've been on the prowl for something fun and green to wear, but to no avail. That is, until I came to this Wal Mart. The item was in the center of the display, surrounded by a heavenly glow as angels sang in the distance. I had found my get-up for March 17th...and it was a green mullet. Be sure to check back for pics post-St. Patty's Day.

High Schools & a Fundraiser

Yesterday was just non-stop fun. It started at 9am when I spoke at Maria High School on the south side of Chicago. A lovely gang of girls, that's for sure. After we finished up a little whoop-ass there, I hopped in my car and drove to West Chicago for my next program. This time I spoke to about 1,000 girls in the gym, and boy was that lovely chaos. The great news is that both programs were videotaped, so I hope to put up some clips soon to show how effective GFB is for the teen audience.

After the second program, I drove downtown Chicago for the annual Girls Fight Back for ShannonMac Fundraiser. This was the 6th year we held it, and as usual, it was a crazy success. It's almost to the point where we don't have to formally advertise it, because the loyalty and word of mouth buzz is so strong. Pictured above is myself with event organizer Kate Lotz, who did an outstanding job (as usual) putting on such a fabulous event. I'd also like to send a shout out to Tom Jenrette, a close friend of Shannon's who really stepped up things this year. He went out of his way to do publicity and even had banners and awareness bracelets made. This event is always very powerful because it's usually all the people who loved Shannon underneath one roof...it's bittersweet, but so needed once a year. And we raised lots of money that will fund free GFB books and programs for teen girls. I hope Shannon was smiling down...

Driver Safety Petition

In the United States, automobile deaths are the leading cause of death for all people age 3 to 33. When youth are given the privilege to drive they are handed the keys to their safety of those riding with them and the others on the road. Safety is not an accident; youth can take specific actions to be safer as drivers and passengers. We are working to make May the National Youth Traffic Safety Month, but we need your help. Please visit Sign on for Safety to sign the petition to make this happen!

Miami University - Coral Gables, FL

This morning I flew from North Carolina to Miami, Florida. I love that feeling when you get off an airplane, and the air that greets you is so warm! On principle, I hit the hotel pool the moment I checked in. And of course, I sent my friends taunting emails from my BlackBerry while poolside. I couldn't help myself.

Tonight I did my first ever outdoor program at gorgeous Miami U. It was so cool to present in the fresh air, and we had a fantastic crowd. I gave the Stayin' Alive on Spring Break program, and many student athletes and peer educators were in attendance. A huge thanks to my supporters, the peer educators with Pier 21. I met a bunch of them at BACCHUS this past November, and they are the ones responsible for bringing me to campus. Pictured above are two of the student deans, the Safe Spring Break corporate sponsor and myself. Now I gotta go get myself psyched up to brave the arctic cold of Chicago tomorrow...so sad to leave Florida behind!

Presbyterian College - Clinton, SC

Today I flew to Charlotte, NC in anticipation of speaking at Presbyterian College. Upon arrival, I drove two hours south to lovely Clinton, SC and gave a Stayin' Alive on Spring Break program to several hundred sorority women. Talk about Southern hospitality...these ladies were awesome! A huge thanks to Dana for bringing me to campus and to J.D. for being such an awesome Scary Bad Guy.

WRGA - San Francisco, CA

Yesterday I arrived at the Western Regional Greek Association Conference, where Greek leaders from many of the Western US came to learn, network and have a blast. When in San Francisco, everyone goes to the Golden Gate Bridge, right? Not I. Unfortunately I was only at this conference for a mere 24 hours, and I never even left the hotel. Maybe next time. But while I was there, I met some fantastic students, got to hang with some of my fave speakers on the college circuit and autographed lots o' books. So it was a good time, although the GG Bridge will have to wait 'till next time. Gotta go catch a red-eye flight back to the east coast now...stay tuned for next week's adventures!

Arkansas Tech - Russellville, AR

Last night I spoke to a full house of Greek students in Arkansas for part of their Safe Spring Break week. This crowd was like a big ball o' energy, and so fun. We had some minor issues in the beginning, when ironically all my tech needs (the PowerPoint) refused to work. I found this funny, since I was speaking at a technical college. But the show must go on! So we aborted the mission to make the damn projector work and I hit the stage. About halfway through the program I was talking about tips to get to a spring break destination safely, and was discussing how to avoid bad situations while driving. I offered this tip: whoever rides shotgun in the car has the job to stay awake and talk to the driver to keep them awake. After I say this, some guy completely busts out in this guffaw laugh, like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard. Now there's a lot of funny stuff in my programs, but I didn't think this was one of them. I figured I was merely being heckled, and just moved on. (Of course, filing away his mug for later to take out my revenge.) So when it came time to do some self-defense stuff, I asked the crowd for a volunteer to be my scary bad guy. (SBG) The crowd offered up this same guy who heckled me, and I kicked his ass onstage. It was awesome. Afterwards, the peer educators did a mock "Deal or No Deal" whereupon each contestant called had to pick a box. Within it were gift cards for some serious cash. This whole event was fun and random, and a good time was had by all.

Dominican University - River Forest, IL

Today started out early, having to get up at 4:30 am to fly from Florida to Chicago. I'm no morning person, that's fo shizzle. My brain gets a little cooked without the proper amount of shut-eye. So perhaps that explains why I forgot to take a picture of me and friends at Dominican University tonight. (And thus, I was forced to do a self-portrait with campus in the background. How lame is that?) Curses! So anyway, I did the Stayin' Alive on Spring Break program for a bunch of fantastic students, and it was good to be back on campus. (I gave the Girls Fight Back program there several years ago. I clearly remember it b/c their entire female softball team attended and they were quite a force to be reckoned with!) A huge thanks to Nora who set up the whole event. Their spring break starts Monday...enjoy safely. :)

Barry University - Miami, FL

Tonight I spoke to all the cool cats at Barry U. We had a little travel scare, as New Jersey got pounded with 6 inches of snow last night. All the flights before mine were getting cancelled, and I was nervous. But lucky for me, I got out on time and into the warm haven of lovely Florida! I spoke to a packed room with students from diverse backgrounds, and they all had one thing in common: incredible enthusiasm. Everyone really enjoyed the spring break strategies, especially since they LIVE in the midst of all the spring break mayhem. Strangely enough, a girl fight broke out somewhere on campus during my talk and all the staff had to go leave and respond to the incident. Oh, the irony! Pictured above is myself with the Alpha Phis on campus showing off our fave Chuck Norris moves.

NGLA - Pittsburgh, PA

Yesterday I flew from Chicago to Pittsburgh to attend the North American Greek Leadership Association Conference. The students who attend are similar to those at MGCA, but instead they go to college in the Northeast. Got the chance to hang out with a bunch more speakers and have dinner at a lovely place downtown Pittsburgh. See pic above with me and fellow CAMPUSPEAKERS Joe Bertolino and Ray Lutzky. Joe and his partner Bil won the award for "Best Diversity Speakers" for 2007! Congrats guys! Ray gives a great program about public relations as it pertains to Greek organizations.

Above is a pic of me and the "Best Speaker" and "Best Female Performer" of 2007, Lori Hart Ebert! This is an awesome honor, and she deserves it. I spoke today, giving the Girls Fight Back program to about 50 student leaders and we had a blast. Afterwards I gave away 20 free books and did a book signing afterwards. Now I am packing my bags to head home...I've been on the road since Monday morning! It all starts again next week, so it's time for a little Sunday R&R at home with my boy and my pug.

MGCA - Chicago, IL

Well you won't believe this, but my luggage got lost today for the second time this week! I was en route from Manchester, NH to Chicago and I had to connect in Washington DC, so that's where the debacle happened. So I get to Chicago for the MGCA conference, and I realize I only have a few hours before presenting the Stayin' Alive on Spring Break program. Gotta go find a mall and buy some new clothes! But a man named Hank saved the day. Hank works the baggage claim at O'Hare, and he made it his personal mission to track down my bags. He ended up finding them and returning them to me. So happy to be reunited with Red Luggage once more!

With luggage in hand, I headed to the annual Mid American Greek Council Association Conference. This is a great conference attended by college student leaders who are members of fraternities and sororities in the midwest. Tonight I spoke, and had a great crowd. It's so fun for us speakers to be at conferences, because it's the few times of year that speakers actually get to see each other. Tomorrow I speak again, giving the Girls Fight Back program, then onto my next conference in Pittsburgh...

University of New Hampshire - Durham, NH

Tonight I spoke at the University of New Hampshire. It was a real first for me...the first time I've spoken to a crowd that was majority men. Let me tell you, I wish guys would come out more often. I believe they have so much to contribute to the anti-violence movement, and are so often just considered part of the problem. I gave the Stayin' Alive on Spring Break program and we had a blast. Thanks to all the students who came out, especially all my new Pike boyfriends. Also a big "holla" to Dave and Brett (pictured with me and the UNH seal above) for bringing me to campus.

Indiana University - Bloomington, IN

Well yesterday was fun because I experienced 3 things that have never happened before. First, I ran into a fellow CAMPUSPEAK speaker at the Pittsburgh airport named David Stollman. (He's an awesome speaker on Greek issues...bring him to your campus!) Literally, I almost ran directly into him. It was crazy weird. Then, as you can read from my post yesterday, my luggage got lost by US Air and I was completely stranded with no clothes. (Update: red luggage was returned to my hotel room last night at 12 midnight, just as I was about to go to sleep in the same clothes I wore since 7am that morning. Nice!) Just in case you were considering doing your holiday shopping in Bloomington, Indiana, I would strongly urge you to reconsider. There's not a mall. Hence the third thing I've never done. I presented to a ballroom jam packed with about 800 women and gave a program in my scrubby jeans and Ugg boots. I don't normally get decked out or anything, but this was by far my scrappiest look I've ever had. Thankfully my contact at IU, Becca, was awesome and didn't seem to care in the slightest. The program went great, and my scary bad guy was Mike, a dude from New Jersey. (And he had some serious NJ pride...rock on with your Jersey self!) The Alpha Phi chapter was out in full effect, as you can see from the photo above. Afterwards Mike and the Panhellenic Council took me out for a great dinner on the square. Thanks to everyone for your hospitality and I hope to be back soon!
Another crazy thing happened yesterday. This girl above, Alex, was one of the success stories I wrote about several years ago when I was the self-defense columnist for CosmoGirl! I had spoken at her teen Jewish Youth Group up in the Catskill Mountains, and she later used some of the moves to escape two men who approached her and her friend. How crazy is that? A lot of worlds have been colliding lately....it's so cool.

Where art thou, red luggage?

Oh red luggage, where art thou? Last I saw you, you were sitting on a little cart about to be wheeled away to security at Newark Airport. As I approached the escalator, I looked back at you with tears in my eyes. "Get it together!" I thought to myself as I fought back emotion. After all, I would be reunited with my sweet, sweet red luggage upon my arrival at Indianapolis International Airport in just a matter of hours.

But the hours have grown long, and oh red luggage, where art thou?? Seriously! The nice lady at the airport said you were lost, and it breaks my heart to think of you so cold and alone on some runway or lost baggage holding area. But was it not Fival Mouse in American Tale who so beautifully observed, "It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star."

Oh red luggage, I now have to go and speak at Indiana State University and I look like a total scrub. Within your lovely contents are all...and I mean ALL of my clothes. Let's hope I find a mall to solve my dilemma, or I'll be doing the program tonight in my scrappy Uggs.

Red luggage, find your way back to me! I need you!

West Texas A&M - Canyon, TX

Tonight was an awesome way to kick off the spring tour at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. Who woulda thought that in the middle of the panhandle you'd find some of the most awesome college students and staff I've ever met? Before my program at 7pm, the students organized an expo where a bunch of different organizations set up tables and had "mocktails" in an effort to encourage a safe spring break. Check out the table above...love the "jar o' condoms." Hilarious.

They were so put together...very impressive. The program went very well and a big thanks goes to Tanner for being such a good scary bad guy. (My apologies for getting dangerously close to kicking you in the crotch...you had great reflexes, by the way.) Also a huge thank you to Kelsey, the event organizer and also her jolly band of peer educators.

Spring Tour Kick-off

This week I've been running all over the place trying to finish the last-minute logistics for my spring tour, Stayin' Alive on Spring Break. Alas, tomorrow I kick off the tour in Texas, and I'm psyched. Believe it or not, this spring is going to be an even more hectic schedule than my book tour last fall, so stay tuned to this blog to stay up to date...

Da Bears Lose

Poor Ditka. Poor Chicago Bears fans. Poor me. This is the saddest picture of Ditka I could find. I did google searches for "Ditka crying," "Ditka sobbing," "Ditka having an emotional breakdown" and found nothing. Damnit Google! Seriously, what are you good for?

At least a team from the midwest won. (I'm not a hater of any other region, but it's just a weird thing...peeps from the midwest stick together for some reason. It's like a corn-fed cult or something, and I ate a cob of it.) We're all sad Da Bears lost. But I have to say, that Tony Dungy seems like such a good guy, doesn't he?

ShopGFB Gets a Facelift

This weekend ShopGFB.com, the online boutique of Girls Fight Back, has undergone some serious plastic surgery! We've made it easier to shop for the safety products you need, and more stylish as well. All items at the boutique are under $25, so it's affordable too. Check it out: www.shopGFB.com

University Chic

Check out this new website and e-zine I've been writing for. It's called University Chic, and run by some fab college girls and grads. They cover lots of subject areas ranging from beauty, entertainment, shopping and ass kicking. (That's where I come in...)

http://www.universitychic.com/node/1161

Go Veronica

When you can't get an apology from your sexist jerk politician husband in private, you do the only logical thing...tell the national media and demand a pubic apology. You go girl. Click here to read the whole story. You know what I always say, There's nothing more dangerous than a pissed off woman!

MITRE & Junior League

It's been a fun few days. Often times people ask me what kinds of crowds I speak to. Yesterday and today were examples of the drastically diverse client list I have. Yesterday I spoke at MITRE, which is a government contractor in McLean, VA. Their facility is impressive, as were the extremely concerned and intelligent people I met there. Many of the 100 or so audience members were highly acclaimed scientists or engineers. Like I said, impressive! Drove back to New Jersey last night so I could speak at an event called "Know Before You Go" this morning for soon-to-be-college-freshmen in Montclair, NJ. It was sponsored by the Junior League, which were some of the most organized and dynamic ladies ever! The whole day was dedicated to educating these girls about violence before they ever step foot on a college campus. How proactive is that? I wish all teen girls could attend something like this. I sold out of books VERY quickly at this event, so my apologies to y'all who I left hangin'...but overall, a very successful event.

The D.C. Gang

I've had meetings in D.C. today, so thought I'd sprinkle in some fun and friends. Enter a real mish-mosh of my present, past and future. Here's the cast of characters: Eric: a fellow author and consultant; Leah and Leslie: working to end teen violence with the Century Council and Jen: one of my fave people from college who is now a lobbyist and political powerhouse. (I'll work on her campaign someday...I'm an awesome envelope stuffer.) Add some amazing Thai food to this gathering and you had a serious good time.

Chicken Soup for Twenty-Somethings

So my friend Christine Hassler is a fellow speaker and author. She's currently writing Chicken Soup for the Twenty-Something Soul....got a story? Submit it, and you could be in print! See below for official details.

The Chicken Soup Family is preparing a serving especially for the Twenty-Something Soul and we are looking for stories. Chicken Soup for the Twenty-Something Soul will cater to the soul of a twenty-something and ease readers of Chicken Soup for the College Years into their next phase of life. Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen are teaming up with life coach and author of Twenty Something, Twenty Everything Christine Hassler to serve up stories that resonate with the twenty-something journey.

Please share your inspirational, true experiences of 1000 words or less. You may submit as many stories as you would like. For each story selected to be published in the book, a 50-word biography will be included about the author and a permission fee of $200 will be paid. The submission deadline is September 2007.

Email submissions are strongly preferred. Send stories with your name, address, phone and email address on the manuscript through our website at http://www.chickensoup.com/. Please select Twenty Something as the book title.

January E-Newsletter

So often people ask me about success stories of women and girls who have seen the Girls Fight Back program. I'm glad to say I hear quite a few of them, but now we're going to start sharing them with the world. In today's e-newsletter we are featuring Danielle, a gorgeous gal who saw me speak at Penn State 3 years ago. Just recently she put the skills she learned in motion to fight off a rapist.

CLICK HERE to read the e-newsletter and Danielle's story.

Vote for your Favorite Speaker

Calling all college students and campus professionals...please take 2 minutes to vote for your favorite speaker online for the America's Best Campus Artists for 2007. Campus Activities Magazine has named me as a finalist for “Best Female Performer” and “Best Speaker” categories. This is a huge honor! My speaker's bureau, CAMPUSPEAK, is also up for "Best Agency." Very cool...

Click here to cast your vote.

Da Bears

I remember it so clearly. The year was 1985, and I was feeling the pre-show jitters of a Weed family dramatic production at our suburban Chicago home. I was dressed up in a Bears jersey and wore ginormous sunglasses in an attempt to resemble Jim McMahon. Look at me, mom! I'm doin' the Super Bowl Shuffle! Good times. Fast forward 22 years, and here we go to the Super Bowl once more. Time to bust out my smooth moves again. Ditka! Sausage! Ditka! Da Bears! Ditka!

Tmax in NYC

Here is me and Tracy Maxwell, Exec. Director of CAMPUSPEAK, in New York City tonight. (As you can see, it was CHILLY!) We had an awesome dinner with her sisters and some fellow Campuspeakers at Sette on 7th Ave. Lovely place, great company and a good time had by all. You may remember my previous blog posts about Tracy, as she has been battling ovarian cancer. But now she's done with chemo and cancer free. She's got about an inch of gorgous hair. She looks fabulous and healthy, which is all any of us can hope for...

Creepy Van

When I was speaking the other night at Gannon University, I was talking about how to become a "Bad Victim." The pic in my powerpoint presentation during this time is a creepy van I found on Google images. I mean, in America it seems like scary bad guys and creepy vans go hand in hand, ya know? I shared the story about how I collect pictures of creepy vans, which I'm totally aware is a bizarre hobby, somewhat creepy itself. So today a girl in the crowd emailed me the above pic...seems to be one of those knockoffs of inspirational posters. I love the "free candy" on the outside...yeah, he seems totally legit.

Gannon University - Erie, PA

Last night I kicked off the '07 season by speaking at Gannon University. I was psyched to get back in action after more than a month of holidays, vacation and chillin' out. And action packed it was indeed! We had a few hundred gals in attendance who were all so into the program. We had quite a few head-butters, so you know they're a fun bunch when you hear that. My scary bad guy was named Matt, and he recently broke his middle finger. I found this hilarious for some reason, and forced him to pose with it. I asked him if he broke it in a bar fight or something, but he said it just got slammed in a door. I suggested he come up with a more creative story to accompany the injury but he said a bunch of people saw it happen. Oh well, better luck next time.

St. Thomas

Well you might be wondering where the heck I've been on this bloggy. Simple answer: VACATION! My husband and I try to do a beach trip every January as a way to use up my frequent flyer miles and also to get away before I begin my winter speaking tour. This year we did a trip to St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) and it was the first time we did a whole week. The trip was a blast, and I had a great time just being an unproductive sun worshiper. I've learned a lot this year about balance, and the importance of relaxing to cancel out the insanity. This trip acheived that balance quite well. The photo above is the view from our villa balcony. I spent a lot of time there...probably my fave part of the vacation was drinking coffee and staring at this scene...

Fundraiser Announced

The date for the 6th Annual Girls Fight Back for Shannon Mac Fundraiser has been set. Please mark your calendars and spread the word for this awesome event in memory of an amazing girl. Hope to see you in Chicago!

Friday, March 9th, 2007
Sluggers across from Wrigley Field
8pm – 12 midnight
$25 open bar (well drinks, domestic beer, soda and wine.)

Proceeds will fund free self-defense and personal safety education for Chicago area high school girls. Pictured above is myself and some loyal GFB supporters at last year's event: Stephanie, Neal and Jay.

Happy New Year

See ya, 2006...and HELLO 2007! I've got to say, I can feel it in my bones this is going to be a good one. You can see me above, partaking in the the bubbly as I rang in the New Year at my friends' brownstone in Jersey City last night. All things considered, I feel remarkably good today, so I decided put my 3 main resolutions into public domain:

#1: Do a kick ass "Stayin' Alive on Spring Break" tour
Starting in February, I'm going to be traveling the country with my new college program about how to have a safe, yet fun, spring break. I'm already booked at 15 venues, so it should be pretty wild.

#2: Finish my second book, "Teens Fight Back!"
I'm very excited about this book. Reason being that so many college girls I meet have already been victimized in some way before they even set foot on a campus. Girls are dealing with grown up (and sometimes frightening) situations at a far younger age than ever before, so it's time for teens to fight back too. If all goes well, TFB will be released in Sept. '07 and followed by the TFB national book tour.

#3: Seek Peace.
I know what you're thinking...what the ??? This is a pretty big resolution for me, as I'm a pretty spastic human. For the past 5 years since Shannon was murdered, I have been going full speed ahead. My determination to keep her spirit and memory alive sometimes prevented me from appreciating this amazing journey. Women today are so overcommitted and stressed out, which can really take a toll on your health, happiness and relationships. So this year I am committed to giving myself permission to just stop sometimes, take deep breaths and find the peace that often seems hard to attain in today's world. Wish me luck in attempting to sit still as I attempt my first meditation class next week. Ommmm....

Here's wishing you a great '07. Thanks for sticking with me on this wild ride...

Christmas Re-Cap

Yesterday I returned from a whirlwind Christmast extravaganza. Last Thursday I flew to Chicago to spend some quality time with my friends and family. This has been such an insane year that I can't remember the last time I visited just for fun. (There was always a GFB related event going on...) Clearly in '07 I'll do a better job of hangin' with my peeps. Anywho, after a 5 hour flight delay I finally got into O'Hare. Had a total blast over the 4 day visit, and I especially loved chillin' with my little niece, Haylee. How cute is she?

On Christmas Day I woke up at 6am to catch a flight to meet up with my hubby at his parents place in Florida. Flying on Christmas is really low key. However, I flew into a tornado warning while landing and thought we were all goners. (Top 3 scariest landings in Weed Travel History...very impressive. We had a few screamers. You know, those people that scream during the massive bumps, "We're all gonna die!!!" And then someone else yells back, "Shut up!!!!" Very unnerving.) But all ended well, and I had a lovely visit at the in-laws. As I have mentioned in the past, my mom-in-law has breast cancer. She is in the midst of chemotherapy right now and doing well. She tells me that when she gets the chemo, she envisions little people with swords wearing Girls Fight Back t-shirts kicking some serious cancer ass. Now that's what I call some positive visualization!

December Greeting

Today I sent the December e-newsletter.

Click here to read it.

Photo Shoot

Tomorrow I'm sending out the annual holiday e-card from Girls Fight Back to my thousands of subscribers. This year I thought it would be fun to incorporate my pug, Zoe, into the holiday greeting. So I bought her a Santa hat, and we did a photo shoot out in west New Jersey in a wooded area. I thought it would be simple. You know, just put the doggie hat on her, scoop her up and take the picture. Not so much. Zoe wasn't having it. In fact, the whole thing turned into a big game. So tomorrow the final pic will be sent in the e-card, but here is some behind the scenes action of what it took to make it happen...

CLICK HERE to subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter.

Recovering

I was quite sick this week, as if the sheer madness of the past 3 months has finally caught up with me. It's made me realize that I need to take it a bit slower, at least just for now. And what better way to slow things down than to hang out next to the fireplace with your pug? Okay, so I still have my laptop attached to me...but I'm working on that.

Woman With Purpose

I was honored to hear that I was named the December "Woman With Purpose" by the Leadership Insitute. Thankfully they had already decided that I would be the recipient before seeing the photos of my stellar mechanical bull ride. Read all about it by clicking here.

White Ribbon Blog

Men rock. And I have been personally blessed to have many male friends, mentors and activists take on violence against women. A few lovely Canadian men started an organization called The White Ribbon Campaign, and today they launched a new blog. Check it out.

Our Future Has No Violence Against Women

Violence against women is one of the most serious human rights violations on the planet. Across Canada and around the world, there is a growing momentum for organizing around men’s roles and responsibilities in ending violence against women. “This Blog is an amazing opportunity for us to connect with people working to end gender based violence all around the world. It allows us to respond to current affairs, share resources and best practices, and strengthen the international network. The ability to interact online is also a chance to be inspired by the work around the world, and inspire others to take up the cause.”, states Todd Minerson, Executive Director of the White Ribbon Campaign.

Unite for Change

So my good friends Becca Tieder and Kelly Addington recently started this great new campaign to end sexual assault. They are real crusaders, with Kelly being a survivor and Becca being her best friend. The site has some great resources and even ideas on programming you can do on campus to end sexual assault. Check it out by clicking here.

AFA - New Orleans

Yesterday I traveled from Detroit to New Orleans for the annual Association of Fraternity Advisors conference. This is by far, the most hilarious conference I attend every year. Picture this: a thousand Greek Affairs directors from colleges all over the nation come to one city for a long weekend to learn and kick it with their peeps. And this one was in New Orlelans, so it took the debacle level up a few notches. Each year they have what's called a speaker showcase. They selected 8 speakers (including myself this year - a huge honor) and we all had to give a 15 minute presentation that kinda summarizes what we do. This is the hardest task as a speaker, especially when your normal program is 90 minutes. But I did what I do best (a little palm-knee-knee if you know what I'm sayin') and I think the crowd really dug it. I also introduced my new gimmick, which I'll blog about later...

One of the best things about AFA this year was that I got to cross something off the "List of Things to Do Before I Die." Oh yeah, I rode the mechanical bull. It was at some bar on Bourbon Street, and when I saw it, I swear it was surrounded by a white light and angels were singing. Truly a blessed moment. I knew it would be mine! Mu ha ha ha! All the people who went before me were drunk girls with their clothes falling off. (i.e, a real crowd pleaser) Me on the other hand, I was totally sober and making a strategy the whole time. Sure enough, that bull was mine, at least for a good 30 seconds. The whole bar was cheering for me. Awesome.

Michigan State

Yesterday I spoke to a few hundred A-Phis at Michigan State. It's funny, because I went to Taco Bell for a quick and tasty chalupa before the program, and there was a girnormous banner across that said, "STATE." Apparently they're the coolest, and don't need no stinkin' state name in front of their school. Too funny. But we had a blast, kickin' it GFB style and sold a bunch of books afterwards. This was the last college program for the Fall semester for me, so it was a good way to end a great few months.

Happy Feathered Friend Day

Here's me in at a hat stand in Boulder, CO trying on a fancy turkey hat...or is it a chicken? Below is my brother-in-law, Mark, trying on a different kind of bird. So happy feathered friend day...give thanks.

Damzl

I recently read about an awesome, bad-ass women's riding apparel company called Damzl. Here's their definition of the word, as posted on the website:

Damzl \'dam-zl \ n.: girl or maiden with a sense of adventure beyond the norm 2: half girl, half machine, see bionic.

Awesome. They make clothes for both casual wear and also for extreme sports, like motorcycling and snowboarding. It was started by two sisters, Holly and Heather. Sadly, Holly passed away during a riding accident in 2005. Heather courageously decided to move forward with the company, and now it's more popular than ever. If you want to support a fabulous company, increase the girl power and look good doing it...then visit their website (and buy stuff) at www.damzl.com.

Victory!

Who said raising a shit-storm never works? This time it did for the whole O.J. book debacle. Because of the angry backlash from the general public, today News Corp (parent company of the book publisher and FOX news) announced that both the book publishing and the interview have been cancelled. (Read Article)

All I have to say is that I have a renewed faith in the American public to cause such an uproar. Like I always say, there are many kinds of fights...and many types of victories. This time, justice won. Here's wishing the Browns and the Goldmans much peace tonight...

O.J. Sucks

I'm sure you've probably heard about this, but I need to vent. (and having a blog is pretty good for that sort of thing, so here goes....) O.J. Simpson is coming out with a book soon called "If I Did It." It's supposedly a book about how O.J. would have killed his wife and her friend, Ron Goldman, had he been the actual killer. One word here...WHAT? Who does that? An innocent man? Not so much. My friend Guilia Rozzi writes a blog called "Dear Douchebag," where she writes letters to people who suck. When I heard about all this O.J. crud I thought to myself, "This would be a great Dear Douchebag letter." Turns out she was already on top of that...you have to read this: http://www.deardouchebag.com/

I've had some bad experienes with the publishing industry in my years as a writer. But giving some low-life cold blooded killer a 3.5 million book deal takes it to a new low. And the fact that FOX is going to give this man airtime and do an interview sends FOX execs a one-way ticket to hell...

People in this country are fascinated by murder. We are actually rather de-sensitized to it. I mean, how many dead bodies do people see on CSI, Law & Order and all those other crime/murder shows? At core, people are fascinated with death. But murder as entertainment is becoming more and more popular, and as someone who has sat through a real murder trial of a loved one, I can assure you it's not so sexy. Kneeling over a casket of a murdered loved one isn't so fascinating either.

So you might be saying, what should I do? It's more like, "What shouldn't you do." Don't buy the book. Don't read it. Don't watch the interview. And if you're feeling a bit more proactive, go the exta mile and follow the advice below given by my friend Jo Gillett, Exec. Producer of the TV show "Predators." (Hosted by Denise Brown, Nicole Brown Simpson's sister and domestic violence advocate.)

You can help to make a difference; please help turn this evil for good by donating the money you would have spent on this book to a local women’s shelter in your area. To find a domestic violence program in your area, please use this link: http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw/statedomestic.htm

Please help support us in our efforts and forward this letter on to all! The e-mail address for feedback at FOX is: askfox@foxinc.com

Please also visit: http://www.dontpayoj.com/index.php

Cleveland State

Yesterday I gave a lunch program of "How to Be a Bad Victim" at lovely Cleveland State. This was my second time there, and it was great to be back. As I walked into the Union, the pic above was the scene that greeted me. Man, there's nothing like arriving at a venue with a big ol' banner with your name on it... (it's always good to know you're in the right place!)

The last time I was in this town I had some down time and got to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's definitely something you want to check out if you ever get the chance to visit C-Town, just FYI. We had a smaller crowd, but still managed to morph into "Bad Victims." Afterwards we enjoyed a nacho bar, complements of the Campus Activites Board. Above is me posing palm-strike style with my new Ohio peeps. Thanks for coming out!

Linda Trinh Update

As many of you may recall (since I blogged about it before), an Alpha Phi named Linda Trinh was murdered at her apartment at Johns Hopkins University in January 2005. I was personally involved with this case, after Alpha Phi headquarters contacted me to help this chapter of women to get through losing a sister to homicide. This is an area where I unfortunately have a lot of expertise. Meeting those girls brought up a lot of old emotions from the first days and weeks after losing Shannon. On the drive back from Baltimore to New Jersey I was obviously unfit to drive. I got a speeding ticket going 92 in a 65. My mind was elsewhere, and I've since learned that driving and going through some heavy emotional stuff is not a very good combination.

The good news is that today Linda's killer plead guilty. This means there will be no trial, which is honestly the only ray of light in the entire situation. Sitting through two weeks of a murder trial for the man who killed Shannon still ranks as the worst in my entire life. So I'm glad the Trinh's will at least have the peace of knowing the guy has been found, and admits his guilt. He will be sentenced in January.

View Linda's memorial website

Teens Fight Back!

So my book, Girls Fight Back! The College Girl's Guide to Protecting Herself, has only been out for a little over 2 months...and the itch has begun again to write...

Yesterday on the plane ride home from California I began my next book, to be released in September 2007. It's called: Teens Fight Back! The Teen Girl's Guide to Protecting Herself. I plan to write many safety books for women in all stages of their lives, but I felt teens were the next obvious group. The sad fact is that in many cases, the girls I speak to in college already have a terrible story to tell. It makes the optimist in me dream a little bit...what if teens knew how to protect themselves BEFORE they went to college?

I also think that Teens Fight Back will be a great tribute to Shannon. As many of you know, her plan after graduating was to become a high school physical eduation teacher and track coach. I am quite certain all the terrible situations facing teens would have really concerned her.

So while most normal people are getting to work putting up Christmas decor, I'm sitting down at my laptop...and really having fun doing it. Love my teen girl friends, and I can't wait to give this book to them as a guide through some pretty tough years.

BACCHUS Conference - Anaheim, CA

What a fun few days this has been. On Thursday, I flew from New Jersey to Anaheim, CA for the Annual BACCHUS General Assembly. Now I go to a lot of conferences every year, but this is by far my favorite. The reason is because all the students and faculty who attend are focused on one thing: Peer Education. They want to share messages with other college students about safe sex, drinking education, mental health and violence prevention. These are the cats who aren't just proactive themselves, but make it their perogitive to help others too.